LAKE LEVEL DATA
With the generosity of our donors, a ToltHawk water level measuring device was purchased. The device was installed in early January 2023. Water levels are captured 24x7. To supplement this data, in late spring 2023, a Community Collaboration Rain, Hail and Snow (CoCoRaHS) device was purchased and installed to manually measure and record precipitation on Hudson Lake. These data sources as well as NOAA information are periodically downloaded, summarized, and shared here. The drain status – opened/closed – is also shared here. With your input, lake events are collected to grow our understanding of what happens on the lake at given water levels. Reviewing and monitoring this critical data helps us understand how to keep the lake at an acceptable lake level.
AUGUST 2024
The ToltHawk required maintenance and therefore, was not in service from early June through part of July. It was reinstalled on July 15th. Another calibration was completed on July 26th. Three calibration readings were done – one from the device (ToltHawk reading), one from the device location on the west side of the lake (manual done by Mark) and one from the drain on the east. 9.6 inches (done by the drainage board), 10 inches and 10.32 inches respectively. That’s an acceptable deviation, less than ¾ inch spread.
Lake Level (in +/- Wier) - ToltHawk (August 2023 - August 2024)
*Data unavailable for June & July.
Lake Level (ft.) at Weir - ToltHawk (August 2023 - August 2024)
*Data unavailable for June & July.
Temperature (Average ºF) - NOAA (August 2023 - August 2024)
Precipitation (Average Inches) - NOAA (August 2023 - August 2024)
LATEST LAKE MEASUREMENTS
The Hudson Lake Conservation Association continues to work with the La Porte Drainage Board and the DNR on various needs of Hudson Lake. On Monday, March 6, 2023, we compared manual measurements at the weir and the location of the Tolthawk device with actual device readings. The result was that all three were within 1/2 inch as can be seen below:
Lake Measurement Verification for March 2023
This validates the device's accuracy is within an expected deviation. We will periodically do these measurements to ensure its continued accuracy.
MEASUREMENTS – 2022
Drain Status
Hudson Lake Drain Has Been Closed for Over One Year — The Hudson Lake Drain was serviced and fully closed on Tuesday September 20, 2022. The drain has remained closed ever since.
With the installation of the ToltHawk in January 2023, we’ve been able to track how our lake behaves related to temperature, precipitation, and evaporation. Below are some stats we’ve compiled from gathered data.
High Level (inches above the weir) 13.085" (May 2 – May 14, 2023)
Low Level (inches above the weir) 0.62” (February 5, 2023)
We had no days with water below the weir.
Days under 6” than the weir: 159 (January – February 2023 and June – October 2023)
Days above 12” than the weir: 25 (April – Mid-May 2023)
We’ve started compiling the data to see if there were any clear relationships between level and temperature or level and precipitation. It's hard to see any real pattern aside from, when it rains, the lake level goes up and when it doesn't during warmer weather, the lake level goes down.
It appears that 50 degrees might be a point where we begin to see loss from evaporation. Winds – not measured here – also contribute to this. We have seen a loss of 1-2" per week without rain in the summer months with 76*F/0.5" rain appearing to be a stable point.
We need to continue to gather more historical data to better understand any trends for our lake – being allowed to be a lake – on its own with no man-made drain intervention. As we can gather more data, we hope that patterns become more apparent and accurate.
ToltHawk data is updated monthly on the HLCAIndiana.com website. There is also a link on the site to see lake water levels since its installation.
The drain was serviced on Friday, November 3rd. All was in working order. The drain exit gate was secured with a lock to prevent entrapment. HLCA drain team has keys. The drain remains closed, and the ditch is dry.
Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF)
7-day precipitation forecast, known as the Quantitative Precipitation Forecast (QPF), from the National Weather Service . The QPF is updated daily and is a tool to use when considering lake level, gate operations, etc.
Help us in our efforts
It’s impossible for our staff to be everywhere all the time, so we rely heavily on your ability to send us information to effect change in all areas around the lake. If there is an issue you have noticed that you feel we need to address, please feel free to use this form to let us know what the incident was, when and where it happened, and who or what was involved. We will contact you to discuss the matter further as soon as possible. Thank You for your assistance.
Status updates related to Lakeshore Drive, public ramp, drain, ditch and other sites are also entered here.
This is the official source of lake incidents for HLCA to be shared with the DNR and La Porte County Drainage Board. This data is considered private for official use only. Submissions are confidential - contact information is collected for verification, follow-up, and legitimacy purposes. Data will be compiled and shared at a summary level with appropriate entities. Data will enable a better understanding of Hudson Lake’s usage and challenges.