Lake Zoar Drawdown Scheduled For May

Northeast Utilities (NU) plans to conduct its annual springtime lowering of Lake Zoar’s water level in May.

Lake Zoar is an 11-mile-long impoundment on the Housatonic River lying between the hydroelectric Shepaug Dam on the north and the hydroelectric Stevenson Dam to the south. 

The Lake Zoar drawdown is scheduled to start on May 3. NU plans to restore the river to its normal level by May 12. During that period, the utility company will perform maintenance, as needed, at Stevenson Dam.

The river drawdown also provides time for property owners along Lake Zoar to make repairs to their structures along the river, such as docks and walls.

NU plans to reduce the river level by five vertical feet from the normal level of 103 feet above sea level to 98 feet above sea level. The effect that the water level reduction will have will vary, based upon the slope of the riverbed at a given place.

If Housatonic River levels are higher than anticipated, the river drawdown might be delayed by one week.