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Lake Zoar – Beginning on October 19, 2024, FirstLight will conduct a drawdown of Lake Zoar at the Stevenson Dam to conduct its annual maintenance and inspection activities. The normal summer operating range of the station is from 103’-100.5’, and the drawdown will target an elevation of 98.5’. The drawdown will lower lake levels to minimum…
Read moreBeginning tomorrow, August 22nd, FirstLight will begin releasing debris that has collected between the boat barrier and the Stevenson Dam through the dam’s sluice gates. To support the public’s ability to recreate on the river, we will avoid passing debris Friday through Sunday to enable weekend recreation. It is essential for FirstLight to begin this…
Read moreBeginning Wednesday, August 21st, a portion of the Canalside Rail Trail Bike Path from the 11th Street Bridge to Depot Street will be closed to allow FirstLight to complete a maintenance project on the Turners Falls Power Canal Left Dike. The closure is expected to continue through late October. To support public awareness of the…
Read moreFollowing the extreme rainfall event and associated flooding that impacted Southwestern Connecticut and the Lower Housatonic River area on Sunday, August 18th, both man-made and natural debris made its way downstream and collected above the Stevenson Dam. Starting Thursday, August 22nd, FirstLight will begin a phased effort to safely address the debris field. Smaller woody…
Read moreAmidst extreme unanticipated rainfall in Western Connecticut and associated flooding in the Lower Housatonic River area, FirstLight assures the community that the Stevenson Dam is structurally secure and is operating as it was designed to – it is not in danger of failing. The Stevenson Dam is not a flood control facility, so it cannot…
Read moreNEW MILFORD, Conn. – January 26, 2024 – FirstLight, the owner and operator of the Rocky River Pumped Hydro Storage Station, will initiate the drawdown season for Candlewood Lake, which includes Squantz Pond, on January 31, 2024 — with this season’s schedule dictated by unseasonably high flows and shifting weather patterns. The drawdown, executed in…
Read moreLake Zoar – Beginning on October 21, 2023, FirstLight will conduct a fall drawdown of Lake Zoar at the Stevenson Dam to conduct its maintenance and inspection activities. The normal summer operating range of the station is from 103’-100.5’, and the drawdown will target an elevation of 98.5’. The drawdown will lower lake levels to minimum…
Read moreMontague, MA – June 27, 2023 – Effective June 28, the U.S.G.S. S.O. Conte Anadromous Fish Research Center’s security gate in the Patch section of Turners Falls will be closed to vehicular access on evenings and weekends, with vehicular access being modified to 7:00 AM through 5:00 PM on weekdays. In addition, security will be…
Read moreOn Thursday, March 9th, FirstLight Power received notice of an observed small oil sheen below the Turners Falls Dam. We immediately deployed our team to inspect the area and establish and implement solutions to address the issue, at all times in coordination with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). The team onsite identified two…
Read moreNEW MILFORD, Conn. – January 23rd, 2023 – FirstLight, the owner and operator of the Rocky River pumped hydroelectric station, began the drawdown of Candlewood Lake, which includes Squantz Pond, on Friday, January 20th, 2023. The drawdown, executed in consultation with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,…
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