Lake Zoar is a reservoir

Reservoir

A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...

 on the Housatonic River

Housatonic River

The Housatonic River is a river, approximately long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about of southwestern New England into Long Island Sound...

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

. It is formed by Stevenson Dam

Stevenson Dam Hydroelectric Plant

The Stevenson Dam Hydroelectric Plant is a hydroelectric power plant located on the Housatonic River at the boundary between the towns of Monroe and Oxford, Connecticut. The plant was built in 1917 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000...

. The town

New England town

The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...

s of Monroe

Monroe, Connecticut

Monroe is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 19,479 at the 2010 census. The current first selectman is Steve Vavrek....

, Newtown

Newtown, Connecticut

Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 27,560 at the 2010 census. Newtown was founded in 1705 and incorporated in 1711.-Government:...

, Oxford

Oxford, Connecticut

Oxford is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,272 at the 2010 Census. There are several areas in Oxford: Quaker Farms, Riverside and Oxford Center. Oxford belongs to the Naugatuck Valley Economic Development Region and the Central...

, and Southbury

Southbury, Connecticut

Southbury is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, USA. Southbury is located north of Oxford and Newtown; it also is east of Brookfield. Southbury's population was 18,567 at the 2000 census....

 border Lake Zoar.

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

• September 7, 2005: A 37 year old man named Frank Northrop died while water-skiing on the lake.
• November 1986: Richard Crafts murdered his wife Helle Crafts
  Helle Crafts
  Helle Crafts was a flight attendant famous for her brutal murder at the hands of her husband, Richard Crafts, an airline pilot and special constable. Her murder is sometimes called the "Woodchipper Murder" because of the method in which Richard Crafts disposed of her body...
  
   in Newtown, froze the body, cut it up with a chainsaw and finally put it through a woodchipper from a bridge into the lake.

Boating

There is a speed limit of 45 mph (72.4 km/h) limit daytime, 25 mph (40.2 km/h) from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise. Vessels are prohibited from approaching within 300 feet (91.4 m) on upstream side or 700 feet (213.4 m) on downstream side of Stevenson Dam. Activities including fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, water-skiing and jet skiing

Jet ski

Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries. The name is sometimes mistakenly used by those unfamiliar with the personal watercraft industry to refer to any type of personal watercraft; however, the name is a valid trademark registered with the...

 are permitting.

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, Eicher's Cove.
• Oxford, Jackson Cove Park.
• Southbury, at the end of Scout Road.

Fishing

Lake Zoar is stocked yearly with fish by the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is a state agency of Connecticut. The department oversees the natural resources and environment of the state, as well as regulating public utilities and energy policy...

.

Fish species

The lake contains the desirable Smallmouth Bass

Smallmouth bass

The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...

, Largemouth Bass

Largemouth bass

The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...

, White Perch

White perch

The white perch, Morone americana, is not a true perch but is, rather, a fish of the temperate bass family, Moronidae, notable as a food and game fish in eastern North America.The name "white perch" is sometimes erroneously applied to the white crappie....

, Yellow Perch

Yellow perch

The yellow perch is a species of perch found in the United States and Canada, where it is often referred to by the shortform perch. Yellow perch look similar to the European perch, but are paler and more yellowish, with less red in the fins. They have six to eight dark, vertical bars on their sides...

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

Ictalurus catus

Ictalurus catus, also known as the white catfish or white bullhead, is a member of the family Ictaluridae of the order Siluriformes.- Distribution :...

, Brown Bullhead

Brown bullhead

The brown bullhead, Ameiurus nebulosus, is a fish of the Ictaluridae family that is widely distributed in North America. It is a species of bullhead catfish and is similar to the black bullhead and yellow bullhead...

, Rainbow Trout

Rainbow trout

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....

, and the Common Carp

Common carp

The Common carp is a widespread freshwater fish of eutrophic waters in lakes and large rivers in Europe and Asia. The wild populations are considered vulnerable to extinction, but the species has also been domesticated and introduced into environments worldwide, and is often considered an invasive...

. Sunfish

Centrarchidae

The sunfishes are a family of freshwater ray-finned fish belonging to the order Perciformes. The type genus is Centrarchus . The family's 27 species includes many fishes familiar to North Americans, including the rock bass, largemouth bass, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and crappies...

, and Northern Pike

Northern Pike

The northern pike , is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus Esox...

 are also encountered.

PCBs and fish consumption

Most fish from Lake Zoar are generally considered safe to eat in moderation, with the exception of the Northern Pike. In a 2008 study by the United States Department of Health and Human Services

United States Department of Health and Human Services

The United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...

 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 plant species

Four invasive species exist in the lake as of a 2007 study, including Eurasian watermilfoil, Brittle waternymph, Curly leaf pondweed, and European waterclover

Marsilea quadrifolia

-Common names:'Four Leaf Clover'; European waterclover ; Sushni in parts of India; "aaraik keerai" in Tamil and is in use for more than 3000 years as part of food.-Origins:M...

.

Hiking

The Zoar Trail

Zoar Trail

The Zoar Trail is a Blue-Blazed hiking trail "system" in the lower Housatonic River valley in Fairfield County and is entirely in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown in the lower block of Paugussett State Forest....

 is a 6.5 miles (10.5 km) Blue-Blazed Trail

Blue-Blazed Trails

The Blue-Blazed trail system, managed by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, and the related trail systems documented in the two volume 19th Edition of the "Connecticut Walk Book" comprise over 800 miles of hiking trails in Connecticut.There are now over 825 miles of CFPA Blue-Blazed...

 in Newtown maintained by the Connecticut Forest and Park Association

Connecticut Forest and Park Association

The Connecticut Forest and Park Association , established in 1895, is the oldest private, nonprofit conservation organization in Connecticut. The organization is credited as an important early pioneer of the national land conservation movement and as an early advocate of long distance trail building...

.