| The LaPorte Area Lake Association |
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Lake Levels:
Established Lake Level by the DNR: 796.03
Lowest Level Recorded: August, 1965 790.04
Highest Level Recorded: March, 1994 800.90
Current Lake Level as May 20th, 2008 796.70
Current Lake Level as February 14th, 2008 796.00
Current Lake Level as of August 24, 2007 794.65
Current Lake Level as of July 17th, 2007 794.13
Current Lake Level as of May, 2006 793.78
Current Lake Level as of June 9, 2006 793.54
Current Lake Level as of Sept 7, 2006 793.10
Click here to view lake levels recorded year by year.
For communication on alternative research on pumping water back
into the lake, see below PDF's.
PDF 1
PDF 2
PDF 3
PDF 4
Below is some information about the low lake level in Pine Lake from Kevin
Lackman who attended the April 06 meeting on Weed Control.
Water existing in Pine Lake already evaporates back to the atmosphere, so once
you start pumping additional water out for irrigation, and depending on the
circumstances, additional evaporation (midday watering) from turf grass watering
takes place potentially resulting in a net decrease of surface water levels. This
may be a minor issue under normal circumstances, but when you have a low lake
level this becomes more critical.
Groundwater does not evaporate, unless it’s at the surface of the land, therefore,
extracting groundwater for irrigation would be more ideal. This same groundwater,
however, is what keeps Pine Lake “wet” when it hasn’t been raining, therefore
excessive irrigation from city water could also have negative impacts on local lake
levels.
The term “groundwater drought” has been given to our area, hence contributing to
low local lake levels. One cause of this is urbanization - more hard surfaces
(parking lots, roads, rooftops, and even lawns, which are less permeable than
people realize b/c of compaction), less natural surfaces - more runoff - less
groundwater recharge.
I wouldn’t so much focus on where the irrigation water is coming from, but rather
take the following into consideration:
• Irrigate during morning hours when it’s nice & cool. Irrigating during midday
heat will result in the majority of water being lost to evaporation before plants can
even take it in, and can attract sunlight which can scald your grass (similar to a
sunburn when you’re in a pool or lake…it’s amplified…compared of if you’re not in
a body of water) Don’t water in the evening or at night, as this may promote
diseases for your vegetation.
• Utilize mulch mowers which leave grass clippings on the surface of your
yard. Not only are these clippings a source of nitrogen, but also can help to
conserve moisture in your yard.
• Irrigate predominantly during summers months (June & July), This time of
month usually entails more evapotranspiration (combination of evaporation and
transpiration) & less precipitation, meaning your soils will dry out and require
irrigation. Spring and fall month irrigation is much less critical
Irrigating from a surface water resource is legal but may not be ideal. Here are the
legal requirements of DNR Division of Water Rights & Usage:
• All major water withdrawals at or above 100,000 gallons per day must
register w/ DNR and may need to obtain permit coverage
• All permanent pumps used for water withdrawals must obtain permit
coverage
• All withdrawals that result in a lake level decreasing beneath (lakeward) its
legal lake level must be permitted (but would be hard to pinpoint and prove that a
given withdrawal caused just that)
Kevin Lackman, CPSWQ, CPESC-IT
MS4 Coordinator
LaPorte County
Established Lake Level by the DNR: 796.03
Lowest Level Recorded: August, 1965 790.04
Highest Level Recorded: March, 1994 800.90
Current Lake Level as May 20th, 2008 796.70
Current Lake Level as February 14th, 2008 796.00
Current Lake Level as of August 24, 2007 794.65
Current Lake Level as of July 17th, 2007 794.13
Current Lake Level as of May, 2006 793.78
Current Lake Level as of June 9, 2006 793.54
Current Lake Level as of Sept 7, 2006 793.10
Click here to view lake levels recorded year by year.
For communication on alternative research on pumping water back
into the lake, see below PDF's.
PDF 1
PDF 2
PDF 3
PDF 4
Below is some information about the low lake level in Pine Lake from Kevin
Lackman who attended the April 06 meeting on Weed Control.
Water existing in Pine Lake already evaporates back to the atmosphere, so once
you start pumping additional water out for irrigation, and depending on the
circumstances, additional evaporation (midday watering) from turf grass watering
takes place potentially resulting in a net decrease of surface water levels. This
may be a minor issue under normal circumstances, but when you have a low lake
level this becomes more critical.
Groundwater does not evaporate, unless it’s at the surface of the land, therefore,
extracting groundwater for irrigation would be more ideal. This same groundwater,
however, is what keeps Pine Lake “wet” when it hasn’t been raining, therefore
excessive irrigation from city water could also have negative impacts on local lake
levels.
The term “groundwater drought” has been given to our area, hence contributing to
low local lake levels. One cause of this is urbanization - more hard surfaces
(parking lots, roads, rooftops, and even lawns, which are less permeable than
people realize b/c of compaction), less natural surfaces - more runoff - less
groundwater recharge.
I wouldn’t so much focus on where the irrigation water is coming from, but rather
take the following into consideration:
• Irrigate during morning hours when it’s nice & cool. Irrigating during midday
heat will result in the majority of water being lost to evaporation before plants can
even take it in, and can attract sunlight which can scald your grass (similar to a
sunburn when you’re in a pool or lake…it’s amplified…compared of if you’re not in
a body of water) Don’t water in the evening or at night, as this may promote
diseases for your vegetation.
• Utilize mulch mowers which leave grass clippings on the surface of your
yard. Not only are these clippings a source of nitrogen, but also can help to
conserve moisture in your yard.
• Irrigate predominantly during summers months (June & July), This time of
month usually entails more evapotranspiration (combination of evaporation and
transpiration) & less precipitation, meaning your soils will dry out and require
irrigation. Spring and fall month irrigation is much less critical
Irrigating from a surface water resource is legal but may not be ideal. Here are the
legal requirements of DNR Division of Water Rights & Usage:
• All major water withdrawals at or above 100,000 gallons per day must
register w/ DNR and may need to obtain permit coverage
• All permanent pumps used for water withdrawals must obtain permit
coverage
• All withdrawals that result in a lake level decreasing beneath (lakeward) its
legal lake level must be permitted (but would be hard to pinpoint and prove that a
given withdrawal caused just that)
Kevin Lackman, CPSWQ, CPESC-IT
MS4 Coordinator
LaPorte County
To Download a LARE Report of Pine Lake:
The Lake and River Enhancement Program provides the LARE Reports in a pdf
format listed by "Water body-County".
These reports are provided solely as an information resource to interested parties.
They are reproduced as they were developed by the sponsoring entities and
agencies, individuals or firms responsible for them. No endorsement of any
products, procedures, or recommendations is made by the State of Indiana,
Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife or the Lake and
River Enhancement Program.
Please note: All reports are in pdf format and require Adobe Acrobat in order to
view them. Some reports may be larger and may take time to download onto your
computer. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you can download this software from
the Adobe website for free by clicking here.
Click Here:
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/lare/lare_reports.html
The Lake and River Enhancement Program provides the LARE Reports in a pdf
format listed by "Water body-County".
These reports are provided solely as an information resource to interested parties.
They are reproduced as they were developed by the sponsoring entities and
agencies, individuals or firms responsible for them. No endorsement of any
products, procedures, or recommendations is made by the State of Indiana,
Department of Natural Resources, Division of Fish and Wildlife or the Lake and
River Enhancement Program.
Please note: All reports are in pdf format and require Adobe Acrobat in order to
view them. Some reports may be larger and may take time to download onto your
computer. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat, you can download this software from
the Adobe website for free by clicking here.
Click Here:
http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/lare/lare_reports.html
Lake Level Communication from Jerry Jackson LaPorte Water
& Sewage Dept:
The cracked sewer is a problem, but not a problem that will lower the lakes.
There is a sewer that runs along the shore from Waverly Rd north to Lane Street
(see PDF below). When the lake is at normal levels, the sewer and manholes are
in the lake bottom. If there is a failure of the pipe or manholes, it would almost
certainly result in sewage in the lake. When the lake level is high, lake water
leakage into the clay tile sewer becomes a burden on the pumping station and the
sewer system. With the lake level down, there is very little leakage into the
sewer. And, with the lake down, it makes for a good time to fix the problem.
The fix involves moving the sewer up out of the lake. The engineering firm Jones
and Henry is designing the corrections. As soon as preliminary drawings are
ready, I will call a neighborhood meeting to discuss the project and display the
proposed solution. Construction is planned for spring of 2008.
Click here for PDF of area map.
& Sewage Dept:
The cracked sewer is a problem, but not a problem that will lower the lakes.
There is a sewer that runs along the shore from Waverly Rd north to Lane Street
(see PDF below). When the lake is at normal levels, the sewer and manholes are
in the lake bottom. If there is a failure of the pipe or manholes, it would almost
certainly result in sewage in the lake. When the lake level is high, lake water
leakage into the clay tile sewer becomes a burden on the pumping station and the
sewer system. With the lake level down, there is very little leakage into the
sewer. And, with the lake down, it makes for a good time to fix the problem.
The fix involves moving the sewer up out of the lake. The engineering firm Jones
and Henry is designing the corrections. As soon as preliminary drawings are
ready, I will call a neighborhood meeting to discuss the project and display the
proposed solution. Construction is planned for spring of 2008.
Click here for PDF of area map.
Declining Water Levels
Pine Lake is a “closed lake” in that there are no natural tributaries leading in or
out of the lake. The level of the lake is dependent on rainfall, snow runoff and
runoff from surrounding areas.
Since 1998, the level of the lakes has declined every year. Mild winters over the
last several years have not produced the normal snow accumulation. The lake
does not remain frozen through the winter which leads to continued evaporation.
Our summers over the last several years have been hot and dry, and rainfall has
been way below normal. All of these factors have taken a toll on the lake levels
causing the lake to drop close to 2-3 feet below normal.
Other factors include fluctuation in the water tables, cyclical lake levels. For
example, back in 1965 the lake was extremely low and in 1993 the lake was 2-
3 feet above normal.
The Lake Association is working with other city departments in an effort to find a
means to replenish the lake and bring lake levels back to normal.
Pine Lake is a “closed lake” in that there are no natural tributaries leading in or
out of the lake. The level of the lake is dependent on rainfall, snow runoff and
runoff from surrounding areas.
Since 1998, the level of the lakes has declined every year. Mild winters over the
last several years have not produced the normal snow accumulation. The lake
does not remain frozen through the winter which leads to continued evaporation.
Our summers over the last several years have been hot and dry, and rainfall has
been way below normal. All of these factors have taken a toll on the lake levels
causing the lake to drop close to 2-3 feet below normal.
Other factors include fluctuation in the water tables, cyclical lake levels. For
example, back in 1965 the lake was extremely low and in 1993 the lake was 2-
3 feet above normal.
The Lake Association is working with other city departments in an effort to find a
means to replenish the lake and bring lake levels back to normal.