Braidwood Power Plant Cooling Pond

Braidwood Lake is a partially perched (elevated above the surrounding terrain to catch wind) cooling reservoir owned by Commonwealth Edison. The lake consists of a series of old strip mine pits that were connected when the surrounding land was diked and flooded. Recreational and biological management is governed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The lake was filled in 1981 and the powerplant, capable of producing 2,240 megawatts of electrical power, was placed on line during 1988. Braidwood was opened for recreational use on October 7, 1991. The only water sport allowed is sporting fishing. About ¾ of the dike is open for use as a walking and bicycling trail. Fishing is allowed from March 1 until 10 days before the opening of waterfowl season. Check state hunting regulations for that date as it may vary from year to year. Accesses are open at 6:00 a.m. and all boats must be off the lake by sunset. There is no horsepower limit but there is a 40 mph speed limit. Buoys identify restricted waters and all islands are off limits (except for emergencies). Tying boats off to buoys is not permitted. All boats must be powered by a gasoline engine and should be at least 14 feet in length. A special flag system is employed at each ramp that indicates projected wind speed for that day. A green flag indicates wind speeds of 0-12 mph, yellow 12-20 mph, and red is for speeds over 20 mph. If the wind is projected to be in excess of 25 mph, the accesses will be closed for that day. Special length and creel limits are in effect. Two pole and line fishing only. The daily limit for bass is 1 fish with a minimum length of 18 inches. For further information, contact Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area at 815-237-0063.

The dominant forage is gizzard shad. The shad have a comparatively early spawn as a result from the warm water. This allows shad to grow to more than 7 inches during the first year and remove them as a food source by late summer. Other important forage includes threadfin shad, brook silverside, emerald shiner, spotfin shiner, sand shiner, bluntnose minnow, green sunfish, bluegill and young-of-the-year of all species.

As with most cooling lakes, many species tend to move toward warm WATER during winter and away from it during summer. When the generators are on-line, walleye tend to move into locations of slightly heavier current, like necked-down areas between islands.