Very interesting thread, and I'm looking forward to following it! The wife and I are having several trout ponds put in on our mountain land very soon (see thread on plants for coldwater ponds), and we have it in mind to have a well on a clear summit of one of our ridges with a solar panel that will pump some additional cold groundwater into the inlet area of our largest impoundment when the summer sun is beating down.
Have you considered the solar well option? It seems to make sense--a view that is shared by our designer and our contractor--that a well that pumps when it is hot and sunny is exactly what one needs for keeping the water cold and moving, as well as the level up.
