Calumet: First and Forever
Chapter 7: Lake Diversion
Photo 7.1. The Grand Calumet River flows west from Indiana into Illinois, conveying water diverted from Lake Michigan that is not counted as part of Illinois’s lake diversion. Looking upstream from Hohman Avenue in Hammond, May 9, 2019, the flow appears sluggish in the wide channel. (Photo by author)
Photo 7.2. May 9, 2019. The Grand Calumet River has a robust flow when viewed on the downstream side of Hohman Avenue as water flows out of the three culverts. Higher water levels in Lake Michigan means more water flows into Illinois. Two water reclamation plants in Indiana and the eastern end of the Grand Calumet River are the sources of flow. (Photo by author)
Photo 7.3. May 9, 2019. Hohman Avenue is the nearest road crossing to the state line. Looking downstream, west from Hohman Avenue, a railroad crosses the Grand Calumet River 1,000-feet upstream from the state line. A barrier at the state line to stop flow into Illinois would adversely impact river ecology and river restoration work in Indiana. (Photo by author)
Photo 7.4. Looking north on May 9, 2019. The US Geological Survey maintains a stream gauging station on the Grand Calumet River at Hohman Avenue. The flow measurement instrumentation is housed in this gauge house on the south bank on the east side of the avenue. The USGS is responsible for all measurements of flow to account for Illinois’s diversion of Lake Michigan water. (Photo by author)