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87-103- Sit back, get my palette wet (6054454315).jpg
Alex Bellink · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Lakes → Connecticut → Candlewood Lake

Candlewood Lake

Connecticut · Reservoir impounded 1928 · near New Milford

5,420 acres 90 ft deep 12 ft clarity Water C
Compare
5.4SCORE
Survey summary · Connecticut
5,420
Surface acres
90 ft
Max depth
60 mi
Shoreline
12 ft
Typical clarity
429 ft
Elevation
87-103- Sit back, get my palette wet (6054454315).jpg Basement Bonus Room (2).jpg Bathing beach, Candlewood Lake, Conn (69296).jpg

Photographs of Candlewood Lake via Wikimedia Commons. Credit and licence on each image — hover to view, click through to the source.

Candlewood Lake covers 5,420 acres in Connecticut and drops to 90 feet at its deepest point. It is a reservoir impounded in 1928 and managed by FirstLight Power. Short-term rental posture: Town by town; several ban. Confirm at the municipal level before underwriting rental income.

What stands out

  • Boating
  • Fishing

Score breakdown

WATER RECREATION VALUE ACCESS INVESTMENT
Water 6.2
Recreation 6.4
Value 3.5
Access 6.1
Investment 4.4

Each axis is computed by published formula from this lake's own attributes. How we score.

Water quality grade
Water A
ExcellentClear, low-nutrient water. Typically oligotrophic with high clarity and little seasonal algae.
Water B
GoodHealthy water with moderate clarity. Some seasonal variation, no persistent problems.
Water C
FairProductive water — good fishing, reduced clarity. Algae possible in late summer.
Water D
PoorNutrient-rich or heavily drawn down. Swimmable conditions vary; check before you rely on them.

Computed from measured clarity, trophic state, and drawdown magnitude — not an opinion. See the formula.

Overall score, 1–10
8.0+
ExceptionalStrong on every axis we measure.
7.0–7.9
StrongClearly above average, usually with one standout axis.
6.0–6.9
SolidA good lake with a trade-off worth understanding.
5.0–5.9
MixedReal strengths and real compromises.
Under 5
CompromisedSomething material — volatility, water quality, or access.

Weighted: water 26% · recreation 22% · investment 20% · value 18% · access 14%.

Fishery

Smallmouth bassLargemouth bassTroutWalleye

On the water

BoatingFishingSwimmingWater skiing
No USGS gauge on this lake. We only publish a station when its own name matches this water body. Nearby gauges on other lakes would look like data and mislead you, so we show nothing instead. Why we do that.
2.70 ft
Gage height
2026-08-04

Gauge history

Daily values from USGS. Loading up to one year.

What the drawdown looks like

Full pool vs winter low · Candlewood Lake
10 ft FULL POOL WINTER LOW

The dock sits at full-pool elevation. At low pool the waterline retreats and the reach to navigable water changes. Scale is illustrative; the 10 ft figure is from published operations for this lake.

Where it is

Location

No NHD boundary matched this water body, so the marker shows the mapped centre point.

Depth profile

SURFACE 90 ft max avg 29 ft

Idealized cross-section. Max depth 90 ft, average 29 ft. Depth at a specific dock depends on local bathymetry — verify at the property.

Level behaviour

Level stabilityManaged Typical drawdown10 ft Drawdown seasonWinter Trophic stateMesotrophic Typical clarity12 ft Water quality gradeC Elevation429 ft Managing authorityFirstLight Power

Dock & shoreline

Permitting authorityFirstLight Shoreline Mgmt Wake / speed rulesNo-wake within 100ft
A dock is never guaranteed. Confirm in writing with FirstLight Shoreline Mgmt that the specific parcel is eligible before you remove contingencies.

Short-term rental posture

Town by town; several ban

Generally permitted, but rules change. Confirm the specific municipality and any HOA covenant.
Model rental income →
Modeled estimates. Market figures are derived from lake attributes and regional patterns, not from MLS data. Treat them as a starting point, not a comp.
$645,000
Median waterfront
$4,843
Per shoreline foot
-3.3%
Year over year
291
Est. inventory
59
Avg days on market
$273
Est. nightly rate

Rental snapshot

Modeled occupancy35% Booked nights / yr92 Gross revenue$30,428 Net operating income$12,885 Yield on median price2.00%
Open the full model →

What a median-priced home on Candlewood Lake actually costs to carry, with waterfront-specific line items most calculators omit.

$5,341
All-in per month
$147,730
Cash to close + setup
$13,835
Beyond P&I, tax, insurance
Where the annual cost goes
$64,097 PER YEAR
Principal & interest $40,781 (65%) Maintenance reserve (1.1%) $7,095 (11%) Property taxes $6,772 (11%) Hazard insurance $2,709 (4%) Utilities $2,700 (4%) Shoreline / seawall reserve $960 (2%) Dock maintenance $900 (1%) Winterization / seasonal close $750 (1%)

Annual carry

Principal & interest$40,781
Property taxes$6,772
Hazard insurance$2,709
Flood insurance$650
Utilities$2,700
Maintenance reserve (1.1%)$7,095
Septic service$520
Well & water testing$260
Dock maintenance$900
Winterization / seasonal close$750
Shoreline / seawall reserve$960
Total$64,097
Model your own numbers →

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