Lake Zoar is a

reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...

on the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. It was formed by the completion of the Stevenson Dam, which flooded an area of Oxford and Stevenson named "Pleasantvale" or "Pleasant Vale". The

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

s of

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

, Newtown,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, and Southbury border Lake Zoar. The name Zoar originates from corner of Newtown and Monroe that once called itself Zoar after the Biblical city Zoara near the Dead Sea.

Lake Zoar Authority

The Lake Zoar Authority (LZA) is an organization for promoting safety on the lake and improving water quality. The members represent the four towns bordering the lake and meet on a monthly basis. Authority is granted through the Connecticut General Statutes, section 7-151a (of the 1969 supplement).

Notable events

*1984: Joyce Stochmal, 19, murdered and her body dumped into the lake. *November 1986: Richard Crafts murdered his wife Helle Crafts in Newtown, froze the body, cut it up with a chainsaw and finally put it through a woodchipper from a bridge into the lake. *September 7, 2005: A 37-year-old man named Frank Northrop died while water-skiing on the lake. *July 17, 2007: Bonnie Thayer, 64, found dead by a scuba diver due to suicide by drowning after her disappearance in July 2005. *July 6, 2011: 6 Easton, Trumbull, and Burlington residents injured in boat crash. * July 2017: Randall Pineau, 52, hit and killed by a ski boat.

Recreation

Boating

There is a

speed limit Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed, express ...

of limit daytime, from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. Vessels are prohibited from approaching within on upstream side or on downstream side of Stevenson Dam. Activities including

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

water-skiing Water skiing (also waterskiing or water-skiing) is a surface water sport in which an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation over a body of water, skimming the surface on one or two skis. The sport requires sufficien ...

and

jet ski A personal watercraft (PWC), also called Jet Ski or water scooter, is a primarily recreational watercraft that is designed to hold only a small number of occupants, who sit or stand on top of the craft, not within the craft as in a boat. P ...

ing are permitted.

Access

Each of the towns has a public access boat launch. The Southbury location is maintained by the state of Connecticut and is open to non-town residents. Additionally, there is canoe access from Kettletown State Park. * Monroe, Zoar Beach Boat Ramp. * Newtown, Eichler's Cove. * Oxford, Jackson Cove Park. * Southbury, at the end of Scout Road.

Sand Bar

The Sand Bar is an accumulation of sand close to the center of Lake Zoar. It is a popular meeting destination for all boaters alike. The depth of the water above the sand bar varies upon the generation schedule of "First Light Hydro Generation." The depth varies from 6 inches of water at its most shallow point to a foot before receiving. The area stretches about a quarter.

Fishing

Lake Zoar is not stocked yearly with fish by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, but the Pootatuck and Pomperaug rivers feed into it are heavily stocked with trout, many of which eventually make their way into the lake.

Fish species

The lake contains the desirable

Smallmouth Bass The smallmouth bass (''Micropterus dolomieu'') is a species of freshwater fish in the Centrarchidae, sunfish family (biology), family (Centrarchidae) of the order (biology), order Centrarchiformes. It is the type species of its genus ''Micropterus ...

Largemouth Bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus nigricans'') is a carnivorous, freshwater fish, freshwater, ray-finned fish in the Centrarchidae (sunfish) family, native to the eastern United States, eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada an ...

Northern Pike The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus ''Esox'' (pikes). They are commonly found in brackish water, moderately salty and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). T ...

White Perch The white perch (''Morone americana'') is not a true Percidae, perch but is a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America. In some places it is referred to as "Silver Bass". The common ...

Yellow Perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samuel Latham Mitchill fr ...

, Calico Bass (Black Crappie), White Catfish (Ictalurus catus), Brown Bullhead,

Rainbow Trout The rainbow trout (''Oncorhynchus mykiss'') is a species of trout native to cold-water tributary, tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in North America and Asia. The steelhead (sometimes called steelhead trout) is an Fish migration#Classification, ...

, and the

Common Carp The common carp (''Cyprinus carpio''), also known as European carp, Eurasian carp, or simply carp, is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia.Fishbase''Cyprinus carpio'' Linnaeus, 1758/ref>Ark ...

PCBs and fish consumption

Until the chemical was banned in the 70s, the Pittsfield, Mass.

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...

Factory routinely dumped PCBs into the Housatonic. Trout, catfish, eel, carp, or northern pike from Lake Zoar are unsafe for consumption while yellow perch, calico bass,

rock bass The rock bass (''Ambloplites rupestris''), also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, red eye, and black perch, is a freshwater fish native to east-central North America. This red-eyed fish is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family (bi ...

bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or, in Texas, "copper nose", is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands ea ...

, and sunfish can be eaten sparingly and bass should be avoided by high-risk groups. In a 2008 study by the

United States Department of Health and Human Services The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is ...

Smallmouth Bass varied between 0.35 and 0.58 ppm, suitable for one meal per month. PCB levels in the lake have fallen considerably since the 1980s.

Invasive species

Four invasive plant species exist in the lake as of a 2007 study, including Eurasian watermilfoil, Brittle waternymph, Curly leaf pondweed, and European waterclover. As with all the Housatonic River impoundments south of Bulls Bridge, Zebra Mussels have invaded and colonized Lake Zoar.

Hiking

The Zoar Trail is a Blue-Blazed Trail in Newtown maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association.

References

{{authority control Monroe, Connecticut Newtown, Connecticut Oxford, Connecticut Southbury, Connecticut Zoar Protected areas of Fairfield County, Connecticut Protected areas of New Haven County, Connecticut Zoar Zoar 1919 establishments in Connecticut