The following is part of a letter sent to all pond abutters.
Dear Fellow Citizens,
The Bare Hill Pond Watershed Management Committee plans to begin the refill of the draw down pursuant to the Order of Conditions issued by the Conservation Commission during the first week of February.
In prior years, the pond rose approximately one inch per day or less during February and early March during the refill, and the ice sheet remained intact. Given the warm winter, please be very careful before venturing on the ice due to the limited freeze this winter. As always, extra caution should be taken following any heavy rains.
The ice is likely to be thin this year because of a high water table, resulting in greater than normal spring flow into the pond. In addition, the normal pond inversion that occurs in January (the flipping of the warmer bottom water layer with the upper water layer after the upper layer cools) may not have occurred yet and it could also be expected to increase the risk of thin ice even if the weather stays cold. Please protect any shoreline structures from possible ice damage.
Bruce Leicher,
for the Bare Hill Pond Watershed Management Committee
