Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Quarry Contest 2010

Alright, I don't know what happened, but I tried posting this once and hit a key accidentally and the unfinished answer disappeared. If it shows up later, I'm pleading to the court for leniency in not considering this as an edited answer and disqualifying it!

I am calling two areas where there could be thin ice issues.

1) The narrow end of the lake for two reasons: a) Your observation that surface water flow tends to run from that area towards the wide end. As such, since it's a more constricted area where surface action is more likely be a factor than the wider areas, that may present difficulties for consistent freezing, and b) from the pictures, it looks like that area is more affected by wind action at the surface, another factor making it a little tougher to get a solid freeze compared to areas where the surface is more protected from wind movement.

2) On the wide end, right around the dam area and back towards the dark spot that sits sort of in the middle of the channel. My reasoning, a) That end of the lake will also have some additional wind exposure that will keep the surface a little more agitated, b) the outflow into the dam overflow identified by DIED will have increased water movement and correspondingly thinner ice, and c) here's where I'm going way out on a limb, I think that dark spot in the middle of the channel is an opening to a subsurface "well" within the limestone aquifer and that there is water upwelling there. That water is going to be warmer and I believe it will cause a column of warmer water that will resist freezing, perhaps altogether except on the coldest days.

There. I've said it. I'm committed to it. I just hope my novice-ness doesn't come back and bite me in the backside for it!