The drought of 2022 did a number on our lakes and ponds in Connecticut. I noticed a nice layer of scum on most bodies of water throughout the heat of July and August. Little roadside runoff ponds drained out in the heat until there was nothing left but a trickle of black mud. Did any lake survive 2022 with its natural beauty intact?

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I took a ride over the weekend around the Barkhamsted Reservoir in Northern Connecticut, and I was blown away at how clean and clear the water looked. Have you seen how brown and green the water in Candlewood and Quassy were this Summer? Yikes. Have they recovered?

On my commute home along 202, I drive by Mt. Tom Pond and Bantam Lake, both of which look immaculate, at least from afar.

What is truly the cleanest lake in Connecticut at this point?

The internet's answer is Lake Lillinonah, but I'm not buying that. Candlewood and Lillinonah may be our two biggest lakes, but there has to be 'cleaner' lakes in less populated counties in Connecticut, right?

Hitchcock Lake in Wolcott, Lake Waramaug in Kent, Mashapaug Lake in Union? They aren't close to the clarity of Candlewood? I've found that along the shoreline, I'm all about swimming in the ocean East of Rocky Neck, out of the reach of Long Island Sound. Lower Fairfield county ponds seem to be as murky as the water in the Sound, but is there a hidden crystal-clear gem that I'm missing?

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