The Candlewood Lake Authority is issuing some ice safety reminders.  CLA says no ice is 100-percent safe.  Conditions can significantly change the strength of ice from one spot to another, and can present a life threatening situation. 

Candlewood does not freeze in uniform thickness and can vary drastically in as little as a few feet of distance.   Lake levels rise and fall throughout the winter, which can impact ice strength, especially along the shoreline.

FirstLight Power Resources is temporarily drawing the water of Candlewood Lake down further than originally planned to provide additional clean electricity generation to the power grid. New England’s power grid operator, ISO-New England, issued an alert to all electric generators that an "abnormal condition was affecting the reliability of the power system"--the extreme cold. 

First Light owns and operates Rocky River Pumped Hydro Storage plant in New Milford.  By drawing Candlewood Lake down further, First Light can generate enough clean energy to power 25,000 homes throughout the duration of the cold snap.  

FirstLight will draw the lake down from its original planned operating limit of the 422 line to a new operating limit of the 420 line.