Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Pond vs. Lake definition

I have been unable to find a way to neatly define a pond vs. a lake. There may not be one. Anyway, I was hoping someone here could help me. I'm trying to find a definition that is based on the size of the body of water. I.E. A pond is characterized by a natural or man made body of water that is less than 10 acres, whereas a lake is larger than 10 acres but is surrounded completely by land. This is just an example of the type of thing I'm looking for.

Wikipedia has a couple different options but I dont think there is anything that is definative.

Its kind of like defining porn....I dont know how to define it but I know it when I see it.

Welcome, throwback. I think that this is the way Pond Bosses esteemed "Guvnor" defines it: ..."if it's less than 2 A and you own it, it's a pond. If I own it it's a lake".

All a matter of semantics. No real definitions that I know of; just opinions.

A pond is less than 6 acres in surface area.

As mentioned, often the definition is a point of view. Everyone has an opinion. Technically in limnology it is often at the discretion of the book's author (see below). Often the definiton is not focused on size but other features that tend to define or limit the water body. Different texts use different definitions depending on who the author cites and how authoritative or how much esteem the citation or reference possesses. One could easily write an article citing various references on the topic.

Previous PBoss views for this topic:
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=266441

New Hampshire's Fact Sheet definition which is a good article about pond vs lake.
http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/bb/documents/bb-49.pdf

Opinions from Askville:
http://askville.amazon.com/makes-lake-pond-big/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=91298

Best Answer in ASK:
Well, there is no difference in size, as much as there is a difference in biota. A pond is characterized as a body of water, which has a photic zone through its entire length/width. In other words, plants could potentially grow all across its surface or below the surface. A lake however is characterized by having an aphotic zone, where the sun cannot penetrate, therefore plants cannot grow all over its surface or below it. This aphotic zone is usually determined by depth. Ponds are typically shallow to allow light to pass down deep enough for plants to survive. There is no standard size for lakes, ponds, bogs, etc. They are usually determined by their composition, both biotic and abiotic. So everyone that said that a lake is bigger is technically wrong, since there are some ponds that can exceed the size of small lakes, but due to the absolute photic zone, it is technically a pond. So, there you have it, I hope that helps!

Cody note: If one uses the above definition the biggest variable is how clear the water is. Turbid or cloudy water (secchi disk reading 6"-16") will dramatically limit light penetration thus limiting the depth of rooted plant growth to 2ft to 4 ft deep. I have seen numerous instances where clear water (secchi disk reading 10-15ft) allowed some form of submerged plant growth to depths of 20+ ft.

I had a collge professor that defined the difference between porn and eroticism, he said "one contained images of violence, the other did not."

Maybe the differnce between a lake and a pond is defined by what you can do on it. On a lake you can water ski, a pond you can't?

Shorty, I've seen a boat pulling a waterskiier in a swimming pool.....

But, I googled it and cannot find any reference to it. It was in the '70's or early 80's IIRC.

That would be one BIG swimming pool!

Actually, it was in an olympic sized pool. Short rope, and they modified the steering on the boat to make it turn sharper. IIRC, it could only turn one way. It was done as a stunt, and I wish that I could find the info on it. IIRC, the skiier was on trick skiis because they could ski at a slower speed.

Just to add my two cents, I've been skiing in a pool and my pond is 40 acres. I was pulled by truck when skiing in the pool, and my pond is shallow. However, it doesn't have any plant growth due to the dense bloom. I still call it a pond though. Owning a lake sounds pretentious.

Back to pond definitions. How about that? Cheyenne's pond is 40 acres. Does anyone have a pond larger than that?

How I look at the pond vs. lake debate. A lake has a of extra recreational visitors from spring to fall. A pond has very few besides the owner and maybe some of his friends.

I know of several ponds you could ride jet skis or ski on but it would get boring fast.

I agree with Dave. Call it what you want. Pool, pond, lake, tank, etc. Lusk uses 30 acres from what I've read of his work.

A friend has a pond that is between 70 and 100 acres depending on water level. His property is a "ranchette" and is around 1300 acres.

Thanks all.