Children’s Fishing Derby at Shenipsit Lake
Date: Monday, May 07, 2007

CLINTON, CONNECTICUT – May 7, 2007 – Children ages 15 and under are invited to participate in a free fishing derby at Shenipsit Lake Reservoir, located in Ellington, Vernon and Tolland, Saturday, May 12, from 8 a.m. to noon, rain or shine. The event is sponsored by the Shenipsit Lake Association (SLA) in conjunction with the Connecticut Water Company which offers a free hiking and fishing Recreation Program at the lake.

This year the Department of Environmental Protection has stocked Shenipsit Lake with 1,400 trout. Participants can register as early as 7 a.m. at the lake monitoring station on Ellington Road. Children must be accompanied by an adult and are only allowed to fish from designated shoreline areas. Weigh in is at noon sharp and first, second and third-place trophies will be awarded in the 9-15 and 8 and under age categories.

The fishing derby is appropriately scheduled during National Drinking Water Week (May 6 – 12), a national event sponsored by the American Water Works Association which recognizes the vital role water plays in our lives. “It is our pleasure to provide the public with access to this important natural resource, which is also used as a public drinking water supply,” said Eric W. Thornburg, Connecticut Water president and CEO. “We hope many of our customers, as well as other Connecticut residents are able to enjoy this popular recreation program and its fishing and hiking activities.”

In addition, the SLA has scheduled two additional children’s fishing derbies later this summer on Saturday, July 14, and Saturday, August 18, from 8 a.m. to noon. A fishing derby is scheduled on June 16 for SLA members only.

The Shenipsit Lake Reservoir is a public water supply source that has been opened for the Recreation Program since 1994. It includes a hiking trail around the lake and fishing from designated shoreline areas and from electric and oar-powered boats. The program is approved by the Connecticut Department of Public Health and this year, in cooperation with the Connecticut Forest and Park Association, the hiking trail will be open year-round, from sunrise to sunset.

For more information about the Shenipsit Lake Recreation Program, please call Connecticut Water at 1-800-286-5700, or the Shenipsit Lake Association at (860) 872-3086 or visit www.shenipsitlake.org/ or www.ctwater.com.

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Connecticut Water Company serves more than 286,000 people in 41 towns in Connecticut. The towns served include: Avon, Beacon Falls, Bethany, Bolton, Brooklyn, Burlington, Canton, Chester, Clinton, Coventry, Deep River, East Granby, East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Essex, Farmington, Griswold, Guilford, Killingly, Madison, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Plainfield, Plymouth, Prospect, Somers, South Windsor, Stafford, Stonington, Suffield, Thomaston, Thompson, Tolland, Vernon, Voluntown, Waterbury, Westbrook, and Windsor Locks.