Gibson Lake (Indiana)

Gibson Lake is the cooling pond for Duke Energy Indiana's Gibson Generating Station. Measuring at around 3,500 acres (14 km²), it is the largest lake in Indiana built completely above ground, its shores consisting of rock levees on all but two of the lake's six sides both of which were also built up to build the power plant. Opened to fishing in 1978, Gibson Lake had been a prime source of bass and several types of catfish, bluegill, and carp. The lake was closed to fishing in 2007, due to elevated levels of selenium found in the water of the lake.[1] The only entrance to Gibson Lake is the lake's boat ramp, located due southeast of the plant on Gibson County Road 975 South.

Gibson Lake
Location	Gibson Generating Station, Montgomery Township, Indiana
Coordinates	38.35°N 87.76°W / 38.35; -87.76
Type	reservoir (cooling pond)
Primary inflows	Lake Fill Pumps, Plant Water Discharges, Mc Carthy Ditch
Primary outflows	Patoka River, Plant Water Intakes
Basin countries	United States
Max. length	1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Max. width	2 mi (3.2 km)
Surface area	2,900 acres (1,200 ha)
Average depth	15 ft (4.6 m)
Max. depth	24 ft (7.3 m)
Water volume	7,100,000,000 US gal (0.027 km^3)
Residence time	2 weeks
Shore length^1	6 mi (9.7 km) (includes the central splitter dike)
Surface elevation	350 ft (110 m)
Frozen	never
Islands	none
Settlements	Mount Carmel, Illinois (2 miles NW of the lake)
^1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Gibson Lake, due to it never getting colder than 40 °F (4 °C), caused by the hot outflows from the plant's condensers, is known to produce a little dusting of snow every now and then.

Wildlife

The Gibson Lake and the rest of the Gibson Generating Station complex is home to several species of birds. They include:

Red-throated loon Pacific loon Eared grebe Red-necked grebe Western grebe American white pelican Brown pelican Plegadis ibis Snowy egret Ross's goose Wood stork White-faced ibis Glossy ibis Black-bellied whistling duck White-winged scoter Surf scoter Long-tailed duck Golden eagle Peregrine falcon Wild turkey King rail Piping plover Least tern Green heron Canada goose Cackling goose

American avocet Black-necked stilt Whimbrel Marbled godwit Hudsonian godwit Purple sandpiper Red knot Red phalarope Laughing gull Little gull Sabine's gull Glaucous gull Iceland gull Thayer's gull Lesser black-backed gull Pomarine jaeger Parasitic jaeger Swainson's hawk Gyrfalcon Snowy owl Le Conte's sparrow Henslow's sparrow Great blue heron Whooping crane White-fronted goose Mallard duck Snow goose Blue and green-winged teal

• Many of these birds use the area as a stop-over on their respective destinations. Wildlife and bird watchers will notice that Google Earth and Garmin GPS maps refer to the lake's location as Broad Pond. The ancient Broad Pond-Cane Ridge-Wabash River oxbow was once considered for a National Wildlife Refuge.

[2]

Specialty species

• Least terns - breed at Gibson Lake and Cane Ridge least tern habitat and may be seen anytime between mid-May and late August or early September.
• Bald eagles - are common during the winter and are usually encountered on a drive around the levee. They nest in the area next to the Wabash River.

Temperature

The lake temperature very rarely falls below 40 °F (4 °C) at its coldest point, due mainly to the plant's condenser discharges. This often results in lake-effect snow or heavy frost falling in nearby areas.

Outflow (West) Side

Annual Temperature Range

Season	Min	Max
Winter	50 °F (10 °C)	65 °F (18 °C)
Summer	95 °F (35 °C)	110 °F (43 °C)

Inflow (East) Side

Annual Temperature Range

Season	Min	Max
Winter	40 °F (4 °C)	55 °F (13 °C)
Summer	88 °F (31 °C)	95 °F (35 °C)

The two sides are separated by a splitter dike that juts approximately 500 yards into the lake from the main plant that forces the water to remain in the lake for around 1–2 weeks.

References

1. Gibson Lake Will Not Reopen for Fishing April 1 - Duke Energy Archived 2007-11-19 at the Wayback Machine
2. "Gibson Lake - Indiana Birding Guide". Archived from the original on 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2007-12-15.