Candlewood Lake Diving

By Rommie DuckWorth

1. Pre-Preface: Foreword To The Introduction
2. Candlewood Lake Then
3. Candlewood Lake Now
4. Reasons For Diving Candlewood Lake & Squantz Pond
5. Conditions
6. Suggested Dive Sites
7. Parks
8. Other Popular Candlewood Lake Activities
9. Appendix

PRE-PREFACE
FOREWORD TO THE INTRODUCTION

Candlewood Lake! The name itself inspires majesty! In ancient Connecticutese it means 'Place of unparalleled beauty where gods may walk the earth!' These indeed were my thoughts of this place almost from birth and some might say even before. I recall as a small lad being brought sweet scented fruit drinks by the natives. The local populace is an exceptionally good looking peoples who are eager to please an outsider's every whim. Scantily clad, nubile young girls would fan and wipe my sweat sopped brow on the warm summer days as I looked over the vast, majestic, large, big, impressive, large, uh, vast, big, er, oh, help me out here I own a cheap thesaurus. Anyway, in the depths of the lake's wine dark waters one may find the ruins of hundreds, if not thousands of large, ocean going vessels that once had carried the treasures of kings. Dives in the lake also always feature several millions of different types of aquatic life including the rare and timid evlispresley-fish (loneleyheartus hounddogae). No? Too hard to believe huh? Well then, I'll just start from the beginning.

The purpose of this text is twofold. Primarily I have written it for divers who have not yet been in the lake. For them it is meant to be a fun, informative and interesting (although not comprehensive) guide to diving the Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond areas. Secondary to this was the purpose of more fully educating divers already familiar to the lake.

This paper started out as a two page article on diving in the lake for the Compuserve Computer Information Network. However, as I began to research it more thoroughly I began to discover the wealth of history that the lake contains.

I greatly look forward to the upcoming Summer dive season. Much it will be spent exploring and mapping dive sites that where not included in this edition. Any questions, comments, additions and/or corrections to this paper are welcome. As I receive suggestions and find more information I hope to update it for re- release in the future with the addition of dive maps (pending copyright approval). Speaking of copyrights, this entire article is copyright 1991 to Rommie L. Duckworth. It may not be reprinted, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the expressed permission of the author.

Any dive stores, dive clubs or individuals that wish to make copies or for anyone who wishes to send me comments, good, bad or indifferent, write to me at the following address:

Although this work is under full copyright protection I am not asking to be paid for any copies of it. I do ask that anyone who finds this paper to be enjoyable and/or helpful at all to make a tax-deductible donation to either Squantz Engine Co. Volunteer Fire/Rescue Unit or The Candlewood Lake Authority or both. Both are not-for-profit organizations that assist (although in different ways) anyone who dives in the area. The addresses and phone numbers of both can be found in the pancreas, sorry, I mean appendix. A five dollar donation is the suggestion, but donations of any amount (greater preferred) will be highly appreciated. It would also be great if you could make mention that your donations are for the 'Dive Candlewood Lake!' article. This will help to insure that when the new edition, maps and all, comes out, you will get your copy. Thank you!

CANDLEWOOD LAKE THEN

The gods had spoken. They had told the Indians that the beautiful land of hills, forests, ocean and shore was to be theirs. The Indians were thankful that the gods had given them plenty and lived happily for many generations.

Then came the white man. The Indians were suspicious of the strange, new people who took claim to the ancestral tribal lands. Sadly though, the Indians were overpowered by the white man. For the white man had brought something that the Indians did not have and could not defend themselves against. Lawyers! The lawyers quickly explained to the Indians that the gods must have been mistaken. The Indians were really supposed to live over those hills to the west, far away from the ocean. It was not that the white man did not like the Indians. Indeed, the lawyers said that they actually had great respect for the stinking savages and their amazing ability to adapt to where ever the white man put them.

Chief Squantz of the Schaghticoke tribe reflected upon these events as he sat in his cave to the north of the big pond that would later bear his name. It was the Winter of 1724 and Chief Squantz's people, along with remnants of the Waramug, Pequot, Algonquin, Iroquois and Narragansett tribes, had been 'granted' by the white man the land on the western side of the 'Big Basin'. In earlier years the tribes would now be meeting for a month of contests and celebrations by the ocean. This was no longer so.

Though the land in which the Indians now lived was beautiful, fertile and rich with game, the Indians' heritage had been desecrated by the white man's insatiable greed for land. 'A greed' thought Chief Squantz 'that continues.' Soon he would be meeting with more of the lawyers. A delegation was coming, representing the white men claiming all the land from the Narragansett Bay to the south seas under Warwick patent and the Charter of King Charles II. These papers established the Connecticut colony, the most populous and aggressive of the new white colonies. The Indians could not stop the colonists' western progress. They merely withdrew to small reservations in hopes that the tribes in the West would gather the strength to drive the white man back to the sea. When the delegation of twelve arrived they told the Chief that they wanted to settle the land to the south of the big pond.

Squantz reluctantly agreed, and the lawyers scurried back to their homes in Fairfield to write up the necessary deeds. When they returned to the big pond the following Spring they found that Chief Squantz had died of pneumonia that Winter and his five sons refused to honor the contract. The colonists then proceeded to 'negotiate' with the Indians. Five years of 'negotiations' left the Indians with little power to stop what the white man did anyway, so in 1729 the deal was struck to sell the land for 65 pounds (around $300).

The area sold was described as 'eight miles in length, and is bounded east on the township of New Milford and the Ousetoneck (Housatonic) River, west on land under the government of New York, south on Mitchell's purchase, so called, it being part of said New Fairfield and north on granted lands of the government.' In 1730 the tribes moved away, this time to north to Kent, and the settlers began to build small cabins for the new township that in 1740 would become 'New Fairfield'.

The resourceful new inhabitants soon learned of an Indian substitute for wax candles made by splitting the pitchy inner cores of pine logs into narrow, eight-inch strips that would then burn like small torches. The best pine for this 'candle wood' was to be found on the large mountain to the east of the pond. It thus became known as Candlewood Mountain.

The settlers rapidly established farms for tobacco and corn and small plants to process furs for the huge market to the south in New York. Hence life continued quietly for the residents of the Big Basin which later became known as the Rocky River Valley, so named for the river that flowed on the east side of the valley from Danbury to New Milford and on to the Housatonic.

The valley also contained many streams, marshes and four ponds (the Barse, Creek, and Squantz in New Fairfield and the Neversink in Danbury) all of which were fed by plentiful run-off from the surrounding hills and many natural springs. These rivers, streams, hills, marshes, swamps and ponds would all play key factors in the radical changes that the valley would undergo in the early 1900's.

And so the Rocky River Valley, which had remained virtually unchanged since the times when the early settlers had kicked the Indians out, began to change forever.

In 1917 yet another lawyer would play a major role in the history of this land. It was in this year that J. Henry Roraback began to buy up potential dam sites along the Housatonic and Connecticut Rivers as well as major portions of stock in the Housatonic Power Company. Mr. Roraback would eventually name his combined ventures the Connecticut Light and Power Company.

By 1919 CL&P Co. had completed construction of the Stevenson Dam to form Lake Zoar on the Housatonic River. Now Mr. Roraback's company could focus its attention on its main plan to create pumped water storage in the Rocky River basin along with a hydroelectric generating station in New Milford.

In 1925 Charles L. Campbell (who was not a lawyer, but reportedly looked like one) began purchasing huge tracts of land in the vicinity of the Rocky River Valley and deeding them to CL&P. Much of this land had remained in the same families since the American Revolution. Prices paid for land were fair for the time. There were, however, some residents of the valley that clung tenaciously to their homes. Since CL&P had already been granted the authority to flood the entire valley, some submerged lands remain privately owned to this day!

Despite early rumors and some enormous changes in land holdings, the announcement on July 15, 1926, that the Connecticut Light and Power Co. was going to flood the Valley seemed to come as a complete surprise. The plan approved by CL&P's board of directors was to create a huge water reservoir for the generation of hydroelectric power. This was to be the largest lake in Connecticut and the first hydroelectric lake in the United States. In fact, the project was to be the only one of its type outside of Switzerland. There was much initial reaction against the idea, but CL&P had already acquired the necessary powers of eminent domain to forge ahead.

Due to the state-of-the-art of 1926, from land purchase and development to the clearing, damming and flooding of nearly 6000 acres of mostly virgin territory the plan seemed doomed to fail. Nevertheless, only one year later the valley saw several camps for the employees of the UGI contracting company of Philadelphia that would prepare the valley for flooding. These camps contained all the necessities of a small village and were thus dubbed by the locals as UGlyville. The work force of over 1000 people, most of them imported from Maine and Canada, felled trees, cleared cemeteries (for the pay of $1 per body) and moved or demolished more than 100 homes and buildings. The wood that was felled was free for the carting, but with 4500 acres of pure woodland to clear, most of it went to the bonfires that burned day and night. An undertaking of this magnitude would be impressive even with modern equipment, yet what makes this colossal work even more stunning is that it was done entirely by hand.

To complete the job on time, some of the buildings, bridges and other structures were left only partially demolished or sometimes even whole. Many of the residents of the Valley's 35 farms had to leave so quickly that they left some of their possessions behind, unknowingly adding to the adventure of the SCUBA divers that would return to their homes in the years to come.

Many dams also had to be built, the largest of which stands at the north end of the Valley at 100 feet high, 952 feet across and 700 feet wide at the base. Nearby this dam was the key to the project. The main power plant was to be built near the site of the original Bull's Bridge power plant (the area's first hydroelectric generating station built in 1904) in New Milford. Then finally on February 28, 1928, barely a year and a half after the initial announcement of the plan, two 8,100 hp turbines began pumping 250,000 gallons of water per minute from the Housatonic river. The water rushed through over a thousand feet of the 13 foot diameter penstock and up 200 feet of elevation to inundate the valley above. By the end of December of that same year, the water had reached 429 feet above sea level and the giant turbines stopped.

On a winter morning, the frozen lake mirrored a land much changed from the Big Basin in which the Indians had lived so long ago. Sixty-one miles of new shoreline had appeared in the snow covered valley. In 1931 Karl K. Kitchen, a New York Sun journalist who prided himself on having visited almost all of the most famous lakes in the world called the new lake one of the five or six most beautiful he had ever seen.

And the lake was named Candlewood, after the mountain that shadowed it, despite much dissension in the surrounding towns. What follows is a translation of two verses of a poem that Gregoire Margulis, a French author and scholar would later write of the lake:

This man-made lake so wide, so blue Rests an eighth wonder of the world, Expanse of beauty unexcelled Beneath the smile of heaven unfurled.
Here Yankee genius, Yankee grit Have altered nature by machine, Here Yankee effort merits well The eulogy of LaMartine.

The incredible beauty of the infant lake and its surrounding hills did not go unnoticed by others. It quickly became the new hot spot for New York vacationers. Land prices around the lake skyrocketed as the news of its charm got out.

The Connecticut Light and Power Company quickly realized that, although they had started out to create only a new energy resource, what they had done was much, much more.

CANDLEWOOD LAKE NOW

From when the lake was first built up to about the 1970s, on a calm day one could look into the water and see the foundations of buildings some 25 feet below. Sadly, especially for divers, this is no longer the case. The rise in popularity of Candlewood Lake as a recreational area for the region has taken its toll. More boats with larger motors than belong on any inland body of water are continually appearing on the lake. The pollution that these boats and their owners (estimated at more than 5,000) produce is having a catastrophic effect.

Yet an even worse offender is the run-off of excess nitrogen and phosphates from the septic systems and fertilized gardens of homes within the Candlewood Lake watershed. This watershed land was never meant to sustain the number of wells and septic system that now run off it.

According to recent studies from Western Connecticut State University, Candlewood Lake is in the early to mid-eutrophic stages of decline. In basic terms this means that the weeds and algae that are progressively destroying visibility are also refilling the lake. The thick silt and sediment now found so deep around the lake is slowly turning it back into marsh land. Luckily, the lake is still salvageable.

With aggressive conservation and revitalization efforts, its deteriorating condition may not only be stopped, but reversed. Organizations such the Connecticut State D.E.P., Connecticut State Parks and Recreation Commission and most especially the Candlewood Lake Authority are acting to make this incredible resource even more useful and enjoyable for both divers and non-divers alike. For more information on this subject and what can be done about it, contact the Candlewood Lake Authority at the address listed in the appendix and request their free booklet, 'Candlewood Lake, Past, Present and Future.'

REASONS FOR DIVING CANDLEWOOD LAKE & SQUANTZ POND

Why the hell would anyone want to dive in THERE?!? This is a question I am often asked by both visitors and non-diving residents. The answer I usually give is that the lake contains the lost caverns of the passion goddess Amon-Titi where, upon surfacing, voluptuous young love slaves attend to my every desire. Of course, if this were true, I would not be in front of a word processor right now, would I? The real reasons aren't as much fun, but here they are anyway.

• Proximity: Little more than an hour outside of New York City, Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond have long been a haven for those wishing to avoid the crowds and pollution of the New Jersey and Long Island Shores. Now, with the enormous growth in popularity of SCUBA diving, many vacationers are finding a new use for their favorite lake.
• Economy: This goes hand in hand with proximity. Obviously cheaper than a trip to Florida, or even a boat charter in New Jersey or the Sound, Candlewood Lake is the place to go for frequent, easy and low-cost diving.
• Variety of Diving: Candlewood Lake also supports special SCUBA activities such as collecting, research, night and ice diving.
• Training: Many parts of the lake offer a well controlled environment, presenting a wonderful opportunity for instructors to provide training throughout a wide spectrum of dive activities and conditions.
• History: While some other dive sites can provide relatively low-cost diving with controlled training areas, few contain the history of Candlewood Lake. Boats and structures provide for much more interest when they have a tale to tell of how they got there, and what they were before. Anyone can throw an old boat in a pond and go sit on it. Candlewood Lake offers a story with every new discovery.
• The Thrill of Discovery: While there are many fine dive sites well mapped and documented here, there is far more than meets the eye in Candlewood Lake. Many bridges, structures and artifacts remain in the lake for the intrepid soul to claim, 'I found it first!'
• Unique Dive Sites: Other man-made lakes may offer a variety of intact and semi-intact structures, but only a few of these allow diving. Candlewood Lake offers many sites sure to be of interest to even the most seasoned of divers including several almost fully intact bridge structures.
• Etc.: As ambiguous as this may sound, it's true. I know of no diver who has been once in the lake who doesn't have his own reasons for returning.

CONDITIONS

DEPTH: The Rocky River Valley was selected for flooding primarily because of its depth contours. The lake is almost completely flat at a depth of 40 ft. with sharply sloping sides on all shorelines. There are, however, some more gradually sloping areas such as Squantz Pond and deeper plummets, mostly in New Milford Bay, which reach up to 80 ft.

The deepest recorded depth in the lake is in the upper New Milford area with 93 ft. This is very near the pumping station in New Milford though and is out of any area that would be used for recreational diving.

VISIBILITY: Visibility in the lake varies greatly depending on factors such as boat traffic, weather, run-off, temperature, depth, area, and most of all diver ability.

Temperature usually has relatively little effect on visibility in the lake except when it helps to cause the Spring and Fall algae blooms that obscure the sun in green haze. (Don't get too scared. That's only underwater.) During the mid-Summer season, the waters of the lake are warm enough to cause almost all of the algae to rise to the top of the lake. At this time, the green haze becomes somewhat thicker, but below 15 ft. visibility dramatically improves. Here the water is generally more clear, but dark since the algae blocks out much of the sunlight. As a result lights are always suggested in the lake on dives below the 10-15 ft. thermocline.

Visibility will also vary depending on what area of the lake one is in. Obviously in a shallow, silty, weed infested area one will not see as well as in an open rocky area.

Most divers immediately blame boat traffic for bad visibility during busy days on the lake. Myself, I have never seen a boat on the lake that could kick up mud from 35 ft. down! Still, heavy boat congestion will cause accelerated water circulation which can bring up silt from the bottom.

Weather and run-off affect the lake more than any other factors. The enormous watershed area of the lake (25,860 acres) provides much opportunity for rain to swell streams that carry dirt and silt into the lake. If possible, avoid diving after and of course during rainstorms.

Second only to weather as the worst culprit is divers with crappy buoyancy control who kick up silt and/or grab on to everything in sight. This ALWAYS reduces visibility to ZERO almost INSTANTLY. When this happens, swim slowly in one direction out of the silt cloud and get a buddy with better buoyancy control. I say buddy because, of course, you and I have perfect buoyancy control. It must be somebody else that we're talking about here!

To finally answer the question though - visibility in Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond usually ranges from about 5 to 20 ft., sometimes more, sometimes less. Some suggestions to help optimize visibility are...

• Dive on less trafficked days of the week.
• Dive around noon, when the light penetration into the water is at its maximum.
• Dive in more rocky, less silty areas.
• Don't dive after periods of rainfall.
• Dive when the lake is at its warmest.
• Dive below the 10-15 ft. thermocline.
• Try to disturb underwater objects as little as possible.
• MASTER BUOYANCY CONTROL!!!

TEMPERATURE: The overall temperature in the lake ranges from the mid-50's at the bottom during the coldest months to the mid 70's at the top in Summer. The average temperature during diving season in the top ten feet of the lake is around 70-75 degrees. Below the 10-15 ft. thermocline, temperature usually ranges from about 60-65 degrees. The lake is warmest for diving between the second week in June and the end of September. At 15 ft. and deeper the temperature rarely gets below 55 degrees all year round. Of course, dry suit divers may skip this part completely. What do you care? You can't feel it anyway.

CURRENT: There is none. Candlewood Lake is a stationary body of water with the exception of when it is being lowered in late Fall and filled again in early Spring. Both of these are generally non-diving seasons in the lake. All boat movement and surface water flow are created and controlled by winds which usually blow from north to south along the distance of the entire lake. All boats should be well secured wherever they are moored or anchored. The hills surrounding the lake can sometimes produce a 'wind tunnel' effect causing boats to casually and quietly drift away from their divers.

WEEDS: Present in many parts of the lake are two extremely annoying shallow water (10-15 ft.) weeds. They are eelgrass and milfoil weed. Not only are they bothersome to swimmers, boaters and divers but they also contribute to the eutrophication (filling up with silt) of the lake by producing phosphorus and other nutrients on which bacteria and algae thrive. As obnoxious as they may be though, they are generally harmless to divers. The weeds break easily so there is minimal danger of entanglement.

FISH: Native and stocked fish of the following varieties are found in the lake: Black Crappie, Bluegill, White Catfish, White and Yellow Perch, Chain Pickerel, Largemouth, Smallmouth and Calico Bass, Rainbow and Brown Trout, Brown Bullhead, Sunfish (not mola-mola) and more. Freshwater clams are also found in the lake.

ROCKS: What is a gneiss? Is it what flies gsouth for the gwinter? No? Is it the word between gnat and gnu in the dictionary? Yes, it is that and much, much more.

Gneiss (pronounced 'gneiss') is the type of rock that one will find generally surrounding and beneath Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond along with, to a lesser degree, granite. Technically what is here is called pre-Cambrian gneiss and other early, stratified metamorphic rocks. This means that a really long time ago a few different forms of rock (among them rose quartz, white quartz, mica and hornblende) got all skwooshed together-like. So they stayed happily skwished for millions of years until one day some fleet footed glaciers snuck up on them during an ice age, picked them up, and dropped them here in Connecticut. That is why different types of stone can be identified within the same boulders in this area. This effect is found in very attractive, multi-colored boulders that make up some fascinating formations. Large fallen boulders on top of one another with large gaps in between are especially loved by fish. Some of these niches are even large enough to fit a diver into.

MAN-MADE STRUCTURES AND ARTIFACTS: Candlewood Lake is brimming with artifacts such as mallets, axes and pottery from the Indians, bottles and tools from the early settlers, horseshoes, hoes and the like from the later farmers, and modern day treasure lost by innumerable careless boaters.

A great part of Candlewood Lake's charm, especially to divers, is its history. This history is special because not only does it span vast changes in time and cultures in this area, but also because these changes may be physically experienced. One need not simply read about the old roads, bridges and houses that now lie beneath the water. A SCUBA diver's gift is that he/she may physically see and touch these things. On occasion a diver may, with permission, even take part of this history home with him or her so that it may be enjoyed even after the dive.

The adventure of exploration is another integral part of diving for artifacts in the lake. Rumours abound as to what treasures may be found and where. Quite often divers have been exploring what had been previously thought of as 'unproductive' and 'boring' territory when they have made magnificent finds. Marvelous examples of this are the New Fairfield Bridge and the sunken Model-T Ford.

UNDERWATER OPERATIONS LAWS: The red and white diver down flag must be flown and visible at all times during all underwater dive operations, recreational or otherwise. No person shall operate a vessel or cause any person on water skis to pass within 50 feet of the flag. Under no circumstances may a diver surface or swim more than 50 feet from the flag. No more than four divers may use any one flag. If the dive is to be conducted at night, then the flag should be sufficiently well lit to be seen at a distance. This is Connecticut State law. State law also prohibits the removal of any type of underwater game from Candlewood Lake of Squantz Pond by means other than rod and reel. This means no spearfishing, nets, slurp guns, etc.

Another important legal consideration in diving in Candlewood Lake involves the current owners of both the lake and Squantz Pond, Northeast Utilities. Northeast Utilities, under pressure from state and local historical authorities restricts unauthorized removal of artifacts from any of its land holdings, including the underwater areas of Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond. While Northeast Utilities has never exercised its right to prevent divers from removing artifacts from the lake and the pond, it does reserve the right to do so in the future. Official permission to remove and study artifacts for research and archaeological purposes can be obtained from the Land Management office of Northeast Utilities whose phone number is in the appendix. A good rule for divers to follow regarding artifact collection is the 'Diver's Rule of Artifact Collection' as found in the PAUI Open Water II dive manual, 'Don't be a greedy slob or you will die the death of a thousand screaming, tortuous wounds!'

SUGGESTED DIVE SITES

There is something to see in every corner of Candlewood Lake. Nature's own formations lie side by side with man's creations as fish swim leisurely about both.

The following are some dive sites that the reader may find of particular interest. This list is not to be considered complete or comprehensive in any way as new dive sites are constantly being uncovered. These are merely suggestions that are meant to be helpful in locating some specific sites and artifacts.

DYKES POINT: Dykes Point park (also known as Dikes Point, Old New Milford Town Park, Richmond's Landing and Housatonic Park) was a farm homestead before 1926. It was named for the three small dikes built there during the lake's construction (a fourth was completed in 1989). Since that time the park has held private lake side cottages of which some remains can still be found. For a while it was Richmond's Landing which had also had a boat launch, now under the new dike between the park and Marineland. For many years it was also the New Milford Town Park. The park is currently owned and maintained by Northeast Utilities, parent company of CL&P Co.

There is much to be found at Dykes Point, both old and new. Old bottles, farm equipment and other bits of life before the lake are everywhere, as are parts of the old homesteads themselves. The 'new' is provided by a dock fire some years back at what is now Marineland. As a result, many burned and sunken boat hulls may also be found.

Nature lends a hand to instructors who may use the many large underwater boulders as training platforms. Some of the underwater boat hulls are also very well suited for this purpose.

Dykes Point is an easy dive with a maximum depth of 40 ft. It has many easy reference points, comfortable water entry points and a nice, easily pronounced name (as opposed to 'Squantz'). Visibility is usually 7-20 ft. depending on the usual variables. Milfoil weed and eel-grass may will be a relatively innocuous nuisance in the shallower areas while boat traffic much further out into the lake may present a more prominent hazard. Be especially wary of boat traffic on weekends and holidays. Dykes Point also has some non-SCUBA related amenities. Picnic tables and BBQs can be found in marked areas and some wonderful walking paths lead south from the picnic area to loop back around after about 1 ½ miles.

Swimming is discouraged as there are no lifeguards or designated swimming areas. Fishing, windsurfing, and canoeing are popular from this point due to the gravel, small boat water entry just south of the picnic areas. The park is open from 8:00 a.m. to sunset every day from Memorial day to Labor day with toilets available in season. NO ALCOHOL IS ALLOWED. Dykes Point Park is located in New Milford off of Route Seven.

SQUANTZ POND STATE PARK: Squantz Pond State Park takes its name from Chief Squantz of the Schaghticoke Indians who lived at the northern tip of the pond, which is now separated from the rest of Candlewood Lake by the Rte. 39 causeway. Despite its many changes (before becoming a State Park and Forest, Squantz was also a farm and an apple orchard) the presence of the original residents is still marked by occasionally uncovered artifacts such as stone adzes, mallets and other tools. Some years back the remains of an Indian canoe over 22 ft. long and 5 ½ feet wide was raised from the bottom of the pond leading to speculation that even before the settlers came, Squantz Pond may have been much larger than it was just prior to its expansion during the flooding of the lake. It had previously been roughly the size of the lake's Pine Island. SCUBA divers visiting Squantz Pond and the adjoining Pootatuck State Forest (I didn't pick the names folks, I just write this stuff) are treated to their own, specially separated SCUBA-only area! Unfortunately this is one of the less exiting dive spots in the area. Its main attraction is its convenient location to great beach and picnic grounds. The interesting rock formations that are found in the lake are present here as well, as are the stock and native fish. For the adventurous types there are many rumours as to what may still lie at the bottom of the pond. The occasional arrowhead is still brought up to fuel the hopes of larger finds. Squantz is another easy dive. It is 45 ft. at its deepest with usually 5-20 ft. visibility and no high speed boat traffic.

The 173 acre Park is really divided into two sections. The larger part is the actual Squantz Pond area adjoining the Pootatuck Forest. This section contains the main parking areas, the main beaches, the refreshment stand, the trails and forest, as well as the main picnic and BBQ areas. This larger section also contains a small craft (less than 7 ½ hp.) boat launch. This launch is into Squantz Pond only. The smaller division of the Park is diagonally across Rte. 39 from the main Park with its entrance directly across the street from Squantz Engine Company. This section of the Park has a full sized launching ramp that goes into Candlewood Lake. In addition to the 7 ½ hp restriction on Squantz Pond itself, all boating and non-boating regulations apply to both sections of the Park as well as the State Forest.

The Park & Forest areas are famous for their excellent picnic and BBQ facilities as well as their spacious (yet crowded on Summer weekends and holidays) public beaches. The Forest also contains some magnificent trails for post dive walks through the woods featuring waterfalls, small caves, lush greenery, and the most spectacular views of the lake and surrounding area. Views of the hills in Fall foliage are especially breathtaking from the upper part of the Park. Fisherman will enjoy the pond's new fishing pier as well as the small craft boat ramp. Sailing and windsurfing are also very popular water sports on the quiet pond. The Park's features include handicapped parking areas, restrooms, water fountains, pay phones, a snack bar, a first aid station and marked, lifeguarded swimming areas. The entire Park is open from 8:00 a.m. to sunset. Parking is $4 per car. Be sure to read the posted regulations near each of the parking areas to keep up to date on what you can and cannot do in the Park and Forest areas. Squantz Pond State Park and the Pootatuck State Forest are located in the northern part of the lovely town of New Fairfield, just south of the Town of Sherman off of CT Rte. 39.

JERUSALEM: Before 1926 the village of Jerusalem was a small farming and milling hamlet nestled in the shadow of Candlewood Mountain about four miles from the mouth of the Rocky River. The soil here was as fertile as it was everywhere in the valley, but the residents of Jerusalem had the added advantage that the Rocky River drops about 20 of its 200 feet of total elevation in their own little niche. This drop provided the kinetic energy to power one of the largest of the valley's mills whose same millstones now stand at the entrance to a nearby private community.

The Jerusalem area contains many fences and walls, the foundations and partial structures of houses, barns, silos, a schoolhouse and the buttresses of the Rocky River Bridge as well as innumerable farm tools and remnants of everyday living. Tractor parts, hoes, bricks, horseshoes and the like are plentiful for the keen eyed collector in Jerusalem. Except for some fencing, the mill, the schoolhouse and the remains of the bridge, Jerusalem in nicely tucked away in a quiet cove in New Milford. Its location affords the boat equipped diver many benefits. There are no general swim access areas there and besides fishing, there is no reason for boats to cross through the cove. As a result, divers remain generally unmolested.

Visibility is generally 5-25 ft. being unaffected by boat traffic but heavily affected by rain and run-off and again, divers with lousy buoyancy control who try to recover every artifact that they see. The best diving is in depths of 0 ft. down to 35-40 ft. The deep Rocky River gorge drops from 20 ft. to 60-80 ft. at the bottom. This leads to the deepest, darkest bowels of hell. There is no real reason to dive below 40 ft. in the Jerusalem area. Bass, trout, pickerel, perch, bullhead and sunnys are plentiful near the underwater structures and in the shallow water weeds.

Jerusalem is a boat only dive. Private lands surround the area on all sides and allow access to residents only. While CL&P owns almost all of the valley land that comprises the lake, the Ferriss family who now own Ferriss Estates is reported to still hold some, if not all of the lands that make up Jerusalem. Either way, neither supposed owner presently restricts water access to the site. Jerusalem is located just south of New Milford's Lynn Deming Park and just north and east of Birch Point which forms the cove. The area is bounded on the west by Pruchnick Estates on Candlewood Mountain, on the south by Birch Groves on Birch Point and on the east by Ferriss Estates. The old Jerusalem Rd. runs into the water from Pruchnick Estates, past the school house foundation, across the bridge that isn't there, through the town and back up on land at Ferriss Estates where it runs into Ferris Estates Rd. and is called, oddly enough, Jerusalem Rd.

CHIMNEY PT. AND OTHER HOMESTEADS: Along the Rocky River Valley there were many small farm homesteads smaller than, but similar to Jerusalem. One such homestead is at Chimney Pt. in southern New Milford. A submerged road bed runs from Chimney Pt. to Oak Pt. parallel with Vaughn's Neck. Before the valley was flooded, this was one of the major regional thoroughfares.

Little is left of the original homesteads. Here, as with the other 34 farms that lay beneath the lake, only the walls and foundations are left with the scattered relics of daily farming life. Like Squantz Pond Park, this may also sound at first like a less interesting dive. However, because these places have been left relatively undisturbed, they hold the possibility of more remarkable finds from times as far back as those of the early settlers of the valley.

Most of the homesteads under the lake are down about 20-45 ft.

The shallower areas have the weeds that the fish enjoy so. Visibility depends upon the specific site. Some farms, like the one at Chimney Pt. are known and even mapped. Others can usually be found by talking to the local fishermen who know of the areas with peculiar depth reading where fish are abundant.

THE BRIDGES: Of the 14 or so bridges that originally crossed the many winding streams and rivers of this valley, only a few still remain. Of these, some had their structures removed before the lake was filled, leaving only their buttresses. Luckily for divers, others remain almost completely intact, except for their wood plank flooring which has been either ripped up or rotted away. The most commonly visited and best marked of the known remaining bridges crosses from the eastern part of the tip of Vaughn's Neck to what is now The Candlewood Lake Club in New Milford. This bridge was part of one of the winding main roads used by farmers to take their goods by horse cart to the larger towns to sell. While the flooring and dedication plaques are now gone (the plaques are on display at the Diving Bell dive shop in Brookfield) the bridge is remarkably intact. Large steel nails, tools and sundry bric-a-brak can be found both on the bridge and along the sunken roadbed that still leads to it. Roughly 50 ft long this is a steel bridge of cantilever type construction. The top of the bridge lies in about 30 ft. with the bottom about 10 ft. off the bottom at roughly 35 ft.

Visibility ranges from about 5-15 ft. here. While it does get dark in the area of the bridge and flashlights are a help, good buoyancy control is still the most important factor in maintaining any kind of visibility. Boat traffic is VERY heavy in this area most times of the year so special precautions must be taken. This bridge is a boat only dive. One may set up base either directly from a boat, or from shore on Vaughn's

Neck which itself must be reached by boat. If direct boat entry is preferred, the boat should maintain a good anchor (winds often create a strong southerly drift here) as close to Vaughn's Neck as safely possible.

The two basic options for finding the bridge are as follows. One may follow the road that runs underwater around Orchard Pt. on Vaughn's Neck directly to the bridge. The second option is more complicated, but usually more successful. One hundred and fifty yards north of Orchard Pt. on Vaughn's Neck is a white birch tree bent horizontally over the water. This tree is right next to a large rock with a dive flag painted on it. The flag marks the western point of the bridge. The flagpole at the Candlewood Lake Club across the water marks the eastern point. The bridge runs between these two points on a 120 degree compass bearing from Vaughn's Neck. One need simply go north of the line created by the two points, swim out about 150 feet, drop to about 5-10 ft. off the bottom and swim south to cross the line. If one is north of the bridge and one swims south one has to run into the bridge right? Right! DANGER! Because of high speed boat traffic it is not recommended to surface swim away from shore in this area. This is regardless of what type of flag, buoy or marker one carries. Surfacing away from shore is dangerous in the same respect. Use extreme caution. Other known bridges include the intact New Fairfield Bridge running from the tip of Little Neck towards the Sail Harbor sign on Great Neck. Along Wood Creek Rd. which used to run into the lake and cross the southern part of what is now Candlewood Isle are the remains of one bridge on the western side of the Isle and another bridge on the eastern side between the Isle and Sand Island. There are also the previously mentioned remains of the Rocky River Bridge in Jerusalem as well as a recently rediscovered bridge located between the southern tip of Candlewood Isle and Driftwood Pt. in Danbury.

Here again, the spirit of discovery in the lake is found. There are still many bridges are the remains of bridges under the lake that have not been seen since 1928. Yet even many of the ones with known locations are difficult to find. I find a similarity to sunken ships here. The discovery of an untouched bridge or farmhouse may not be as glorious as that of a virgin wreck, but to many it is just as exciting.

CLIFF WALLS AND ISLANDS: The physical ground structure of the hills in this area of Connecticut is made up of what geologist like to call 'Big Rocks' This may be a confusing term to the layman, but what it means to us is that there is a large amount of stone around here. This is important to divers who often enjoy the cliffs, caves and rock formations that these stones make. Cliff walls- Candlewood Lake has some nice cliffs that extend quite a way out of the water and 40 ft. straight down to the bottom. The most notable of these are by Oak and Rock Islands on the coast of New Milford just south of Dykes Point Park.

This is also a relaxing area on the crowded weekends on the lake because there is no boat traffic in the cove. There are, however, many boats moored in this cove to escape the rush of the faster boats. Always be particularly careful in this area when it is crowded, especially when surfacing. Islands- Islands are important parts of the 'Big Rocks' theory because the islands themselves are made up of 'Big Rocks'. See how easy this is! Anyway islands are also useful to SCUBA divers in the lake because many of them have public picnic areas as well as beautiful rock formations teeming with fish. Old road beds also encircle many of the lake's islands providing a good starting point for searching for old structures.

TRAINS, PLANES AND OLD AUTOMOBILES: Yes, indeed there are tractors, bicycles, and even 1920's cars at the bottom of the lake. The locations of these though are not contained in this article. That would be cheating. Stories of planes sunk in the lake abound. Many small, private aircraft have indeed crashed and sunken in the lake but all have been salvaged. Some small parts however do remain. The final note here is that there are, indeed, no old train tracks that were used to facilitate the clearing of the lake in 1927. Ignore the rumours.

-PARKS-

The Candlewood Lake area contains five town parks, (Danbury, New Fairfield, Sherman, Lynn Deming in New Milford, and Brookfield), two public parks (Dykes Point and Vaughn's Neck), a state park and forest (Squantz and the Pootatuck), two state boat launching ramps (Lattin's Cove and Squantz Pond Park) and an island rest area (Sand Island). The five town parks are all open ONLY to residents and taxpayers in their respective towns. Further information about these parks can be obtained by calling the park phone numbers listed in the appendix. Information on Squantz Pond and Dykes Point parks can be found in the section on dive sites.

VAUGHN'S NECK: Vaughn's Neck is a public picnic and BBQ area with a small beach. Access to the public areas of the Neck is restricted to water craft only. Private land and cottages separate the picnic and BBQ areas from the main roads to the north in Sherman. This is usually quite a nice, quiet getaway if you have a means of getting there. It is also a wonderful fishing area. What's more, it allows for a convenient land base for diving on the Vaughn's Neck-Candlewood Lake Club bridge.

LATTIN'S COVE: Built in 1971, Lattin's Cove is the only public access boat launch onto Candlewood Lake besides Squantz Pond. This is not a park per se. It is more like a parking lot that goes right into the water. Lattin's Cove has parking to accommodate 150 cars and a launching ramp that provides lake access for up to three boat trailers at a time. The cove is located at the south end of the lake in Danbury. If you can find it, you deserve a medal!

SAND ISLAND: Set up in the mid-seventies by the Candlewood Lake Authority, the Sand Island project is located between the eastern side of the southern end of Candlewood Isle and Arrowhead Point in Brookfield. The island serves as a rest center for boaters and swimmers with a pay telephone as well as sanitary facilities. Sand Island also serves as the base for the Candlewood Lake Police boat patrols.

OTHER POPULAR CANDLEWOOD LAKE ACTIVITIES

HIKING & WALKING: Trails abound through many of the lake's surrounding parks. Some of the more notable trails run through the Pootatuck State Forest, Dykes Point Park and around Vaughn's Neck. These trails all run through delicate ecosystems so always remember to carry out everything that you carry in.

BOATING: Boating is always a popular fun sport on the lake. All kinds of boats, from speed boats to catamarans to jet skis can be found on the lake in Summer. Unfortunately, recent years have also seen the rise in popularity of behemoth, aqua-cruisers big enough to land small aircraft on. If you own one and wish to use it on Candlewood Lake, GO AWAY!

Full, up-to-date boating regulations in Connecticut can be obtained at (203) 485-0226. Here are a few laws to know right away. Any boat that remains in Connecticut waters, inland or in the sound, for more than 60 days must be registered in Connecticut. Any and all water vehicles, motorized or otherwise, must be registered but may be from any state. Candlewood Lake has a posted speed limit of 45 mph for all water vehicles with a $40 fine. The speed limit is reduced to 6 mph within 100 feet of shore, docks, moored vessels, etc. Candlewood Lake is thoroughly patrolled and all laws are STRICTLY ENFORCED. If you plan to use any kind of water craft on Candlewood Lake, be sure that you have the proper registration, flotation devices, fire extinguishes, etc. for your vessel.

FISHING: While underwater game collecting of any sort is strictly prohibited in Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond, rod and reel fishing is an encouraged and extremely popular sport. Many different state wide tournaments are held here throughout the year. Both Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond contain a wide variety of native and stocked game fish (see the listing under DIVE INFORMATION: FISH).

A Connecticut fishing license is needed to fish in Candlewood Lake and/or Squantz Pond. Residents and non-residents alike may apply for fishing licenses in Connecticut. Fishing season in the lake and pond is closed only between March 31 and the third Saturday in April. For complete information on fishing in Candlewood Lake, Squantz Pond or anywhere in Connecticut, 'The Connecticut Angler's Guide' is highly recommended. It may be obtained at local town halls, fishing supply stores or directly from the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (see phone # in appendix).

APPENDIX

EMERGENCY - Fire, Police, Medical - 911
Reports of all fire, police and medical emergencies in Connecticut.

Diver's Alert Network
Emergency - (919) 684-8111
Non-Emergency - (919) 684-2848
For emergency advice to medical personnel on the treatment of diving emergencies.

The Diving Bell Ltd. - (203) 775-3573
461 Federal Rd. Brookfield, CT. 06804.
Local dive shop.

The Candlewood Lake Authority - (203) 354-6928
P.O. Box 37 Sherman, CT 06784.
Conservation, protection and development organization for Candlewood Lake.

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

• General Info.- (203) 485-0226
• Emergency Spills - (203) 566-7106
• Poaching Reporting Hotline-1-800-842-HELP
• Boating Info. - (203) 434-8638
• Fishing Info. - (203) 566-2287
• Parks & Rec. Info. - (203) 566-2304>

Northeast Utilities Business Office - (203) 744-1321
Owners of Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond below the 44 ft.
contour line. Stony Hill Rd. Bethel, CT.

Squantz Engine Co. Non-Emergency - (203) 746-2688
P.O. Box 8220 New Fairfield, CT. 06812.
Fire and Rescue Co. serving the parts of the Candlewood Lake and Squantz Pond areas. Hall rentals for parties also available! Call for more information!

Author: Rommie L. Duckworth
Compuserve I.D. 76467,2314
America On-Line I.D. Member 1077
Diver, environmental protector, poet, rescuer, scientist, juggler, chef.