Candlewood Lake is closing all of its public islands just ahead of the busy Labor Day weekend, according to officials.
The Candlewood Lake Authority said in a Facebook post that all 12 of the lake’s public islands will close beginning on Friday.
“Due to significant public health and safety concerns caused by the unsustainable misuse and overcrowding of Candlewood Lake’s islands, the Candlewood Lake Authority is announcing the closure of all public islands on Candlewood Lake,” according to a statement.
This announcement was made on behalf of the several towns including Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, New Milford and Sherman, with the cooperation and support of Candlewood Lake’s owner, FirstLight.
“Some of the islands have experienced extreme overcrowding which has resulted in large amounts of garbage, human waste, glass bottles etc. … This can cause a significant impact to the health of the islands and the lake. All the islands are closed so that the issues that have affected some of the islands don’t go to the other islands,” New Milford Mayor Pete Bass said in a social media post.
These closures will be enforced by the Candlewood Lake Authority Marine Patrol, the Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection’s Environmental Conservation Police and local municipal police departments, according to officials.
“Those who choose to disobey the closure of the islands will be subject to removal, along with trespassing and other fines as deemed appropriate by law enforcement,” the Candlewood Lake Authority said in a statement.
Candlewood Lake is the largest lake in Connecticut and the largest lake in the New York metropolitan area, covering 8.4 square miles and 5,420 acres.
Stephen Underwood can be reached art sunderwood@courant.com.
