USGS Water-Year Summary 2023

04177700 HAMILTON LAKE AT HAMILTON, IN

LOCATION - Lat 41°32'10", long 84°54'45" referenced to North American Datum of 1927, in SW 1/4 SW 1/4 NW 1/4 sec.34, T.36 N., R.14 E., Steuben County, IN, Hydrologic Unit 04100003, the gage is on the eastern shore of the southern lobe at the outlet, 0.2 mi north of intersection of State Hwys 1 & 427, on lake access road, in the town of Hamilton. Black Creek enters the lake on the northeast shore. Two small ditches enter from the east and the north. There are two outlets, both on the southern lobe, that flow into Fish Creek thence into the St. Joseph River.

DRAINAGE AREA - 16.5 mi². determined by StreamStats v4.3.11. 

SURFACE-WATER RECORDS

PERIOD OF RECORD - 1943 to 2002, June 2003 to current year.

GAGE - Water-stage recorder, housed in aluminum shelter over 15-inch diameter stilling well. Datum 889.38 feet above the North American Vertical Datum of 1988.  Prior datum 890.12 ft above National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929. Prior 1929 datum corrected in 1978 by Indiana Department of Natural Resources levels. Lake level is controlled by two dams. Northern dam is made of concrete and steel sheet piling with a fixed crest and southern dam is a fixed concrete sill. Legal level of 8.83 ft.

EXTREMES FOR PERIOD OF RECORD - Maximum stage, 10.14 ft on December 30, 1965; minimum stage, 7.27 ft January 4-9, 1953.