94 Proceedings of Indiava Academy of Science 



of the moraine there are about o,500 aci-es which could be drained into 

 the lakes. Three lines of drainage are suggested and shown in figure 2. 

 The eastern line of drainage beginning- in section 14 would drain an 

 area of about 1,000 acres without laterals and possibly half that much 

 more by lateral connections. This drainage introduced into Lower Lake 

 would silt it up and gradually reduce this lake to solid ground, which 

 would be highly desirable, since Lower Lake is now virtually a swamp 

 and nobody is interested in restoring it. This would admit the drain- 

 age into Clear Lake virtually free from sediment. The second line of 

 drainage in sections 21 and 22 has already been surveyed by Mr. Thomas, 

 City Engineer of LaPorte. It is proposed by Mr. Thomas to tunnel 

 about 1,600 feet from Harding Pond to Pine Lake. This line of drain- 

 age would drain about the same amount of land as the former line. 

 The third line of drainage in sections 20, 29 and 33 would drain a 

 smaller area. The total area drained would be not less than 2,000 

 acres and if fully developed about 3,500 acres. The slopes along the 

 drainage lines would vary from 30 to 50 feet per mile. The discharge 

 delivered by these drainage lines if properly installed would vary from 

 25 to 40 per cent of the rainfall. This would be from 9 to 15 inches 

 per year from the ai'ea. If the higher estimate of 15 inches from 

 3,500 acres is considered the discharge would be 190,575,000 cubic feet 

 per year. If the lower estimate of 9 inches from 2,000 acres be con- 

 sidered the discharge per year would be 65,340,000 cubic feet. Even 

 the lower estimate is 3.7 times the yearly loss of water from the lakes 

 and the result of this drainage would be the immediate restoration of 

 the lakes to higher levels. 



The result of restoration of the lakes to higher levels would be to 

 increase the ground water slopes from the lakes. In order to deter- 

 mine the amount of this increase we will consider a seven-foot rise in 

 lake level. This would increase the slope from Pine Lake to the springs 

 from 68.59 feet to 75.59 feet, an increase of 10.2 per cent. The increase 

 from Clear Lake east to the city wells would be from 51.62 feet to 

 58.62 feet, an increase of 13.5 per cent. Since the movement of ground 

 water depends upon slope and the jjorosity of the rock, and since the 

 porosity would be unchanged, the increase in ground water loss would 

 be from 10.2 to 13.5 per cent. If we consider this to be 12.5 per cent 

 the estimated loss of 17,563,392 cubic feet per year would be increased 

 to 19,758,816 cubic feet. This would still make the estimated discharge 

 to the lakes over three times the estimated loss from them. 1 am sure 

 the loss in this case is over-estimated and the gain under-estimated so 

 that the.se figures are very conservative. 



Some minor advantages would be derived by carrying out the pro- 

 posed plans. Considerable areas of fertile land would be drained and 

 made suitable for agricultural purposes along each of the three pro- 

 posed drainage lines. The water table would be restored under the 

 city of LaPorte which would restore wells to their former levels and 

 aLso be of great value to the vegetation of the city. Clear Lake, which 

 is now in the last stages of lake existence and rapidly becoming an 

 unsightly swamp, would be made a fine open lake which would add 

 greatly to the health and beauty of the city. 



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