Lake Lemon
Encyclopedia
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
located in southern Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
approximately 10 miles (15 km) northeast of Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. It is bounded by private and public property in Monroe County
Monroe County, Indiana
As of the census of 2010, there were 137,974 people, 46,898 households, and 24,715 families residing in the county. The population density was 306 people per square mile . There were 50,846 housing units at an average density of 129 per square mile...
and Brown County
Brown County, Indiana
Brown County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2010, the population is 15,242. The county seat is Nashville.- History :...
, with the eastern end of the lake in Brown County. The surface area of the lake is 1,650 acres (6.7 km²), making it the 11th largest lake in Indiana. There are 24 miles (39 km) of shoreline. The lake has an average depth of 9.7 feet (3 m) at full pool level. The greatest depth is somewhat in excess of 20 feet (6 m), matching with the original Bean Blossom Creek bed.
Construction
Damming of Bean Blossom Creek and construction of Lake Lemon began in 1953 with the intent to create a primary water source for nearby Bloomington, as well as a recreation area and flood control project for Bean Blossom Creek. Construction was completed by 1956. Lake Lemon remained a primary water source for Bloomington until being replaced in the 1970s in that capacity by Lake MonroeLake Monroe (Indiana)
Lake Monroe is a reservoir located about 10 miles southeast of Bloomington, Indiana, United States. The lake is the largest in Indiana with of water spread over the counties of Monroe and Brown. It is also home to of protected forest and three recreational areas . Indiana's only federally...
, a considerably larger man-made reservoir located to the south. Lake Lemon still serves as a back-up water source for Bloomington.
Management
By the 1990s, the City of Bloomington Utilities department which operated the lake began looking for an alternative group to manage the lake. This was due in large part to financial pressures on that department's budget. A group of landowners around Lake Lemon formed the Lake Lemon Conservancy District to take over operation of the lake, and official operation of the lake was handed over to this group in 1995. In 2002, the City of Bloomington handed over operation of Riddle Point Park (located on the lake) to the conservancy district as well.Fauna and flora
The lake is home to two dozen varieties of fish (including largemouth bassLargemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
, crappie
Crappie
Crappie is a genus of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of order Perciformes. The type species is P. annularis, the white crappie...
, catfish
Catfish
Catfishes are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the heaviest and longest, the Mekong giant catfish from Southeast Asia and the second longest, the wels catfish of Eurasia, to detritivores...
, and bluegill
Bluegill
The Bluegill is a species of freshwater fish sometimes referred to as bream, brim, or copper nose. It is a member of the sunfish family Centrarchidae of the order Perciformes.-Range and distribution:...
), wildlife (including beaver
Beaver
The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semi-aquatic rodent. Castor includes two extant species, North American Beaver and Eurasian Beaver . Beavers are known for building dams, canals, and lodges . They are the second-largest rodent in the world...
and muskrat
Muskrat
The muskrat , the only species in genus Ondatra, is a medium-sized semi-aquatic rodent native to North America, and introduced in parts of Europe, Asia, and South America. The muskrat is found in wetlands and is a very successful animal over a wide range of climates and habitats...
), and birds (including Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
, heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
, and egret
Egret
An egret is any of several herons, most of which are white or buff, and several of which develop fine plumes during the breeding season. Many egrets are members of the genera Egretta or Ardea which contain other species named as herons rather than egrets...
). Since 1985, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has released 73 Bald Eagle chicks at nearby Lake Monroe
Lake Monroe (Indiana)
Lake Monroe is a reservoir located about 10 miles southeast of Bloomington, Indiana, United States. The lake is the largest in Indiana with of water spread over the counties of Monroe and Brown. It is also home to of protected forest and three recreational areas . Indiana's only federally...
, resulting in an increasing number of sightings of this species at Lake Lemon.
A very wide range of plants and trees find comfortable habit on the lands immediately surrounding the lake. The most abundant plants include American Lotus, cattail and Spatterdock. Tree varieties include Silver Maple
Silver Maple
The silver maple —also called creek maple, river maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, water maple, or white maple—is a species of maple native to eastern North America in the eastern United States and Canada...
and Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, both in abundance.
As of 2005, Zebra mussel
Zebra mussel
The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is a small freshwater mussel. This species was originally native to the lakes of southeast Russia being first described in 1769 by a German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in the Ural, Volga and Dnieper rivers. They are still found nearby, as Pontic and Caspian...
s, an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
, have not been observed in the lake.
Parks and other facilities
Lake Lemon Marina is the only marina on the lake. It is located on the north shore of the lake and offers the only publicly available boat fuel on the lake. A private yacht club called Bloomington Yacht Club exists on the south shore of the lake.
Also on the south shore of the lake is the Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
Aquatic Center. This center hosts a number of activities including sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, rowing
Sport rowing
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, and water skiing
Water skiing
thumb|right|A slalom skier making a turn on a slalom waterski.Waterskiing is a sport where an individual is pulled behind a boat or a cable ski installation on a body of water, skimming the surface.-History:...
. The facility is home to the Indiana University Women's Rowing Team and Indiana University Club Rowing Team.