Indiana Clean Lakes Program

07/10/2026

We are happy to be partnering with Indiana Lakes Management Society to present this lake monitoring workshop next month! Registration information is included in the full post!

Learn how to better understand your lake.

Whether you're a lake association member, waterfront property owner, volunteer monitor, or simply interested in protecting Indiana's lakes, this workshop is for you.

Join Megan Gokey of the Indiana Clean Lakes Program for a hands-on workshop covering the basics of water quality monitoring and how monitoring data can help guide lake management decisions.

Water Quality Monitoring with the Indiana Clean Lakes Program

📅 Saturday, August 8, 2026
🕙 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Eastern
📍 Blue Lake Community Center
7490 E 550 N, Churubusco, IN 46723

Participants will:
• Learn why water quality monitoring matters
• Explore monitoring equipment ranging from Secchi disks and thermometers to multiparameter sondes
• Understand what different water quality measurements tell us—and what they don't
• Participate in a hands-on demonstration at Blue Lake (weather permitting)

Register today:
https://indianalakes.org/event-6644948

07/09/2026

Check out What's In the Water on July 16 that is hosted by Lake of the Woods Property Owners Association (LOWPOA)!

FULL DETAILS:
📆 Date: Sunday, July 26, 2026
📍 Location: Bremen Conservation Club
🕑 Time: 2-4 PM
💰 FREE
👧🏻 Ages: Grades 1-4

07/09/2026

As Hoosiers flock to the lake this weekend, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is reminding boaters about a new law on the books.

DETAILS: https://www.21alivenews.com/2026/07/02/indiana-dnr-explains-new-boating-laws-ahead-4th-july-weekend/

07/09/2026

Our favorite time of the year! Happy Month 2026! This month, take the time to enjoy our lakes and appreciate all that they do for us and the environment. 💙

07/02/2026

This is a great public service announcement from The Watershed Foundation and Lyn Hartman Crighton a CLP alumni!

07/02/2026

Great way to start July! Happy Lake Appreciation Month!

It's official!! July is Lakes Appreciation Month in Indiana. Thank you to the Governor's Office for recognizing the need to protect our lakes for future generations.

07/01/2026

It’s finally that time of year! We appreciate lakes everyday!

It's finally here ... Month 2026! Today kicks off a full month of celebrating and appreciating our lakes, during a time of year when they are being heavily utilized for recreation. Do we appreciate and work hard for lakes year-round? Of course! However, we use this particular month to truly shine the spotlight on how important our freshwater resources are, and why it's so important to respect, appreciate, and protect them.

How are YOU celebrating Lakes Appreciation Month this year?!

Check out the first program e-lert of July: https://tinyurl.com/2n3akaz9

06/18/2026

Hydrologists estimate that a 10-inch wake can have about five times the shoreline impact of a 5-inch wake.

Boat wakes carry energy across the water, and that energy eventually has to go somewhere. When it reaches the shoreline, it can add stress to the lake edge, especially during periods of high water. Wake impact is shaped by several conditions, including wake height, boat speed, distance from shore, water depth, shoreline shape, shoreline vegetation, and how often the same area gets hit by waves.

That wave energy can affect:

🌊 shoreline soil and banks by increasing erosion
🌱 shoreline plants that help hold the edge in place
🐢 wildlife habitat along shallow lake margins
💧 water clarity when sediment gets stirred up
🪵 docks and near-shore structures that take repeated wave impact
🛶 other lake users in mixed-use areas close to shore

Natural shorelines and vegetated edges help absorb wave energy, but repeated wakes can still wear down vulnerable areas over time. As soil erodes into the water, sediment can affect habitat, reduce water clarity, and add pressure to the lake’s shoreline system.

The main idea behind Be Wake Cool is simple: smaller wakes near sensitive shoreline areas put less force into the lake edge. A little wake awareness helps protect the soil, plants, habitat, and water quality that make the lake healthier all summer long.

06/18/2026

The future of the lake is being shaped upstream every day.

Water quality doesn't start at the shoreline. It begins across the watershed in yards, farm fields, roadsides, ditches, wetlands, and streambanks.

Here is why upstream actions matter: When rain moves across the land, it can carry sediment, phosphorus, nitrates, pathogens, fertilizer, and animal waste into local ditches and streams. From there, those materials move through the watershed’s interconnected system and eventually affect the downstream lakes. That flow can shape a lake for years to come. Sediment can cloud the water and change the habitat. Nutrients like phosphorus and nitrates can fuel excess w**d growth and harmful blue-green algae. Pathogens, especially E. coli, can affect water quality and recreation.

The *good news* is that upstream choices can improve that story too!

Helpful actions include:

🌱 Keeping soil covered
🌱 Planting buffers near ditches and shorelines
🌱 Using fertilizer carefully
🌱 Keeping leaves, grass clippings, and yard waste out of the water
🌱 Managing pet and animal waste
🌱 Protecting wetlands that slow water and collect sediment
🌱 Supporting practices like cover crops and no-till farming

Every property sits somewhere in the watershed. Every action enters the story.