Heat waves and moderate drought conditions, coupled with heavy downpours and strong winds, have begun degrading the quality of Lake Waramaug’s water. LWC’s consultant limnologists (freshwater scientists) report that lakes across the region are confronting similarly degraded conditions. The Conservancy is focused on developing short- and longer-term solutions to the challenges of rising temperatures attributable to climate change. Short-term, we are implementing a modification to our in-lake layer aeration systems, which will increase the aerators’ ability to mix oxygen-rich water near the surface of the lake with cooler, oxygen-poor water from lower in the water column. This process will thicken the lake’s middle layer, shrinking the anoxic bottom layer where extremely high concentrations of the phosphorus that degrades water quality are held. Longer-term, LWC is exploring several options, including some now being designed and field tested by our consultant limnologists.

A new urgent focus of LWC is a non-native invasive aquatic plant that, if allowed to take hold in the lake, will destroy it. There is a "red-alert" warning going out to Connecticut lake communities to be on the lookout for hydrilla, commonly known as the "world's worst aquatic invasive plant". 

Learn more about Hydrilla and what LWC is doing about it: https://www.lakewaramaug.org/hydrilla

The program pairs watercraft inspection at the Washington Town Boat Ramp with a mobile hot-water decontamination unit based at the New Preston Fire Station. Together, these efforts make Lake Waramaug the first lake in Connecticut to implement an integrated aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention program—protecting its clean, swimmable, and fishable waters from hydrilla, zebra mussels, and other harmful invaders.

This Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 24, from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., we are holding an Open House at the New Preston Fire Station. Feel free to bring anything that you put in the lake to the fire station for hot water decontamination. This could include kayaks, canoes, sailboats, paddle boards, rowing shells, any car-top craft, boat motors, etc. Or if you would just like to stop in to see the new decontamination trailers in action, all are welcome.

Read more here: https://www.lakewaramaug.org/blog-1/open-house-at-new-decon-station

The Lake Waramaug Conservancy, the Lake Waramaug Authority, and the Towns of Washington, Warren, and Kent today announced the launch of the Lake Waramaug Watercraft Inspection and Decontamination (WID) Program, opening Saturday, April 18, 2026. The program pairs watercraft inspection at the Washington Town Boat Ramp with a mobile hot-water decontamination unit based at the New Preston Fire Station. Together, these efforts make Lake Waramaug the first lake in Connecticut to implement an integrated aquatic invasive species (AIS) prevention program—protecting its clean, swimmable, and fishable waters from hydrilla, zebra mussels, and other harmful invaders.

To Learn more, visit https://www.lakewaramaug.org/decon

We endorse the scientific findings of Terra Vigilis, but leave it to the towns to decide how to balance recreational interests and ecological concerns. We have therefore withdrawn the map and its suggestions. We will post a new map reflecting the town's guidance when it becomes available.

On July 31, 2025, residents of Washington, Warren and Kent passed an ordinance banning the use of wake surf boats in surf mode with 78% of the lake communities voting to approve.  In October 2025, the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection approved the municipal ordinances, however, this decision was challenged by Lake Waramaug Friends for Common-Sense Regulation, Inc. as they sought to overturn the ban. On January 20, 2026 CT DEEP rejected the ordinance challenge petition and the ban is now promulgated effective February 2026.

The Terra Vigilis reports conclude that powerful waves impacting the shore and strong propeller downwash can cause harm to the lake. Powerful waves erode the shoreline and shallows, while propeller downwash scours the lakebed, reducing water clarity and releasing harmful nutrients normally trapped in sediment. These effects are particularly severe in shallow areas like the Sucker Brook delta, where wave energy is dissipated by “scrubbing” the bottom. Preventing erosion and minimizing nutrient release are core goals of ours.