With spring finally here to start the big melt down of all this snow, it also means outdoor ice surfaces are nearing the end of their life cycle.

Calvin Bennefield is the Parks and Facilities Manager with the City, and he says they've already had to shut down the outdoor rink, and even though we've seen about 20 to 25 inches of ice this year, the days are numbered for the local ponds and lakes as well.

“There’s still a fair bit of ice in there, but as it gets warmer its going to end up melting, and then it becomes shaley, and if we don’t get some cold where it’s going to freeze, we’re probably going to shut down here, if it stays like this, before the weekend.”

Bennefield says just because it gets in the minus double digits at night, doesn't mean the ice is safe during the day.

“You may still have a lot of ice below but you’ll get the water that will sit on top, and then it’ll freeze at night becoming shaley then it’ll start melting, and it just becomes really soft.”

Both Lacombe County and Sylvan Lake released reminders this week for ice fisherman to remove their shakes and any other materials off the ice before April 1st, which is the date they need to be legally removed.

However, with the warmer temperatures as of late, anglers might want to think about getting them off before the end of the month.