Whoops, apparently hit the wrong button... thus the post above is/was incomplete!
(continued)
The pond is comparatively well shaded. Nevertheless it's water will naturally stratify by day, especially with warm sunny weather. At these times the warmer, less dense water near the surface (say, the top foot of six feet maximum depths) may slightly exceed the preferred thermal range of BKT. Thus, discharge from the pond takes the form of multiple surface outlets which also serve to help skim detritus and algae that would otherwise use up D.O. during decomposition. Underlying the warm surface water is thicker, colder layer of water which is generally close to the thermal optimum for trout.
In deeper bodies of water summer stratification can result in gradual depletion of D.O. the lower water column. This is less likely to occur in this case, but is a consideration as the pond is protected from strong breezes that might otherwise keep the strata better mixed. I am pondering whether or not I have a Catch-22: if I permit water sources #2 & #3 to mix prior to entering the pond, I temper the desirably cold spring water... but if I separate these two sources, introducing them into different parts of the pond (streamwater into the shallows; springwater into the basin) I might be making the deep, cold water refugia for the trout less productive for trout forage. Various invertebrates which serve as food sources for the trout (especially crustaceans) prefer slightly alkaline water.
My question... If I capture the cooler, denser, lower pH, less well oxygenated spring sources and drop them (via an initial container for reaeration, and subsequently via a buried water line leading to the deeper, central basin of the pond, will stratification prevent mixing of the higher and lower pH water, or will diffusion suffice to allow the siphoned stream water to 'sweeten' the spring water. Again, the spring water runs about 50F, while the stream water could have a temperature of 65F.
Any insights readers can supply are greatly appreciated. I can be reached directly at fishing4u2@juno.com