Lake Monroe (Indiana)
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Lake Monroe is an artificial reservoir located about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Bloomington, Indiana. The lake is the largest in Indiana with 10,750 acres (44 km²) of water spread over the counties of Monroe and Brown. It is also home to 13,202 acres (53 km²) of protected forest and three recreational areas (Fairfax, Hardin Ridge, and Paynetown). Indiana's only federally protected U.S. Wilderness Area, the Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area, is located on the south shore. The pool elevation (above sea level) is about 538 ft (164 m) year-round.
Nearby lives rock musician John Mellencamp. The largest marina situated on the lake is the Fourwinds Resort and Marina with over 800 boats.
Part of the construction in the area included cutting out a piece of a hill next to the lake. The flat grassy area in between the cut out rock formations, which is roughly 200 yards across, can handle high lake water. The rock outcrops left behind also provide a scenic look-out.
[edit] Construction
Construction on the lake began in 1960 and was finished in 1965 at a cost of $16.5 million. Salt Creek was dammed south of Bloomington, Indiana and the reservoir fills the valley to the north west of the dam extending into adjacent Brown County. Elkinsville, a town in southern Brown County, had to be abandoned due to the path of the backwaters. The lake was designed as a primary water source for the town of Bloomington, but also importantly to prevent flood damage, in which capacity it has saved approximately $38 million. The lake was created and is still managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District.
