Every Lake
Braidwood Station Cooling Pond
Dug in the late 1970s to cool a nuclear reactor, now a Will County bass water.
- 8 ft · first step
- 17 ft
- 25 ft
- 33 ft
- 42 ft
- 50 ft · bottom
About Braidwood Station Cooling Pond
Braidwood Station Cooling Pond was built in the late 1970s alongside the Braidwood Generating Station, a nuclear plant constructed by Commonwealth Edison in Will County, Illinois. Crews dammed local streams and drew water near the Kankakee River to fill the reservoir, whose purpose was circulating water to cool the plant's condensers before it cycled back through the pond to shed heat. The station began generating power in 1988, and the pond has operated on the same schedule as the reactor ever since, its level and temperature tracking plant operations rather than rainfall.
The warm water the plant returns to the lake keeps sections open through winter and stretches the growing season for fish, and the pond is known among Illinois anglers for largemouth bass that reach unusual size for the region. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources manages public fishing and boat access in partnership with the plant's operator, with rules shaped by the lake's industrial function, including no-go zones near the discharge and intake structures. Braidwood and Wilmington sit closest to the shoreline, and most traffic on the water is anglers rather than pleasure boaters.
- 39 roads engraved around the shore, 2 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Braidwood Station Cooling Pond depth chart, in wood
This is a Braidwood Station Cooling Pond depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 8 ft, 17 ft, 25 ft, 33 ft, 42 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 50 ft. The lake covers about 4.2 square miles, and 39 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Braidwood Station Cooling Pond map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Braidwood Station Cooling Pond for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Braidwood Station Cooling Pond.
Braidwood Station Cooling Pond map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Braidwood Station Cooling Pond; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Braidwood Station Cooling Pond is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 50 ft
- 4.2 square miles of water
- 39 shore roads engraved, 2 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
