Colebrook River Lake

Colebrook River Lake is located on the Farmington River in Colebrook, Connecticut, and is a part of a network of flood control dams on tributaries of the Connecticut River. Completed in 1969 at a cost of $14.3 million, the amount of water stored at Colebrook River Lake can fluctuate substantially. The pool, used for both water supply and fishery habitat, normally covers an area of about 750 acres. Colebrook River Lake can store up to 16.56 billion gallons of water for flood control purposes. In a time of high water, the gates are lowered in order to hold back the water, only to be released when downstream river conditions begin to recede.

The 388 acres of federal lands are managed for both recreation and for the the benefit of forest and wildlife resources. Wildlife food plots, nesting boxes, open area patch mowing and forest thinning are several techniques used to provide wildlife with food, cover and nesting habitat.