U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Open-File Report 2010–1098

In Cooperation With the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the 

Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water

Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana
Cover images

Left—Little Calumet River south of Interstate 80 and the Kennedy Avenue Interchange at Hammond, Ind., 

September 16, 2008. (Aerial photo, at 1:14,000 scale, courtesy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.)

Right—Discharge measurement made by Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler on Deep River at Lake George Outlet 

at Hobart, Ind., U.S. Geological Survey station 04093000. (Photograph by Ron G. Knapp, U.S. Geological Survey.)
Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern 

Indiana

By Kathleen K. Fowler, Moon H. Kim, Chad D. Menke, and Donald V. Arvin

In Cooperation With the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the 

Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water

Open-File Report 2010–1098

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Department of the Interior

KEN SALAZAR, Secretary

U.S. Geological Survey

Marcia K. McNutt, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2010

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Suggested citation:

Fowler, K.K., Kim, M.H., Menke, C.D., and Arvin, D.V., 2010, Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana: U.S. 

Geological Survey Open File Report 2010–1098, 20 p.
iii

Acknowledgments 

This report presents a compilation of information supplied by many agencies and 

individuals. David Knipe and Suzie Delay of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, 

Division of Water, are acknowledged for technical support, expertise, and advice during this 

study. The authors also acknowledge the support and contributions of Al Shipe of the National 

Weather Service, Indianapolis Weather Forecast Center; William Morris and William Nelson of 

the National Weather Service, Chicago Weather Forecast Center; Jan Crider, Manuela Johnson, 

and Mary Moran of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security; and Kenneth Hinterlong of 

the Federal Emergency Management Agency Region V, Mitigation Section. The authors would 

also like to thank the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water Surveying 

Section; the Federal Emergency Management Agency Joint Field Office; and the Indiana Silver 

Jackets Hazard Mitigation Taskforce for their assistance with this study. Rick D. Ackerson 

and John Ennis with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers were of great help in defining areas 

of inundation along the Little Calumet River. Richard Eberle with the Town of Dyer; Aj Bytnar, 

City Planner of Hobart; Denise Sulek, Planning and Building Department, Town of Schererville; 

Kenneth Purze, La Porte County Drainage Board; and Kevin Breitzke, Porter County Surveyor, are 

thanked for reviewing inundation maps for their areas. 

Michael Eberle of the U.S. Geological Survey is acknowledged for his timely editorial 

assistance with the report, and Pamela Lombard, Bret Robinson, and William Bartlett of the U.S. 

Geological Survey are acknowledged for their timely and thorough review of technical aspects 

of this study. The many hydrologists and hydrologic technicians from the U.S. Geological Survey 

Indiana Water Science Center who assisted with field and office aspects of the project also are 

acknowledged.
iv
v

Contents

Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................................iii

Abstract ..........................................................................................................................................................1

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................1

Conditions Leading to the Flood .................................................................................................................3

Collection of High-Water-Mark Data .........................................................................................................5

Methods of Estimating the Magnitudes and Annual Exceedance Probabilities of Peak 

Streamflows ......................................................................................................................................5

Estimation of Magnitudes....................................................................................................................5

Estimation of Annual Exceedance Probabilities..............................................................................8

Estimated Magnitudes and Annual Exceedance Probabilities of Peak Streamflows for the 

Flood of September 2008 ................................................................................................................8

Flood-Peak Inundation Maps..............................................................................................................8

Flood-Peak Profiles...............................................................................................................................8

Description of Flood Damages and Impacts ............................................................................................9

Summary .........................................................................................................................................................9

References Cited..........................................................................................................................................10

Glossary.........................................................................................................................................................11

Appendix 1. Site Descriptions and High-Water Marks at Study Sites, Flood of September 

2008, Indiana....................................................................................................................................12

Appendix 2. Flood-Peak Inundation Maps for Selected Study Streams and Communities, 

Flood of September 2008, Indiana. ..............................................................................................16

Appendix 3. Flood-Peak Elevation Profiles for Selected Sites, Flood of September 2008, 

Indiana..............................................................................................................................................16

Figures

1. Map showing study area in northwestern Indiana.................................................................2

 2. Map showing distribution of rainfall totals September 12–15, 2008, and rainfall 

totals for the National Weather Service stations listed in table 1........................................4

3. Graph showing cumulative daily rainfall during September 11–16, 2008 in 

northwestern Indiana...................................................................................................................5

4. Map showing locations of selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages........................7

Tables

1. Total rainfall for September 12–15, 2008, and average-recurrence-interval 

rainfalls for a 4-day duration at selected National Weather Service precipitation 

stations in Indiana. .......................................................................................................................3

2. Flood-peak gage heights, peak streamflows, and annual exceedance probability 

of peak streamflows during the flood of September 2008 at selected U.S. 

Geological Survey streamgages in Indiana .............................................................................6
vi

Conversion Factors, Datums, Abbreviations, and Acronyms

Multiply By To obtain

Length

inch (in.) 2.54 centimeter (cm)

inch (in.) 25.4 millimeter (mm)

foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m)

mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km)

Area

acre 4,047 square meter (m2

)

acre 0.4047 hectare (ha)

Volume

cubic foot (ft3) 28.32 cubic decimeter (dm3) 

cubic foot (ft3) 0.02832 cubic meter (m3) 

Flow rate

cubic foot per second (ft3/s) 0.02832 cubic meter per second (m3/s)

inch per hour (in/h) 0.0254 meter per hour (m/h)

Vertical coordinate information is referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 

(NAVD 88) or the National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD 29). 

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83).

Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above the vertical datum.

ACRONYMS

AML Arc Macro Language

DEM Digital Elevation Model

FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency

FSSA Family and Social Services Administration

GIS Geographic Information System

IDHS Indiana Department of Homeland Security

IDND Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

IDNR Indiana Department of Natural Resources

NCDC National Climatic Data Center

NOOA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NWS National Weather Service

ONA Other Needs Assistance

TIN Triangular Irregular Network

USGS United States Geological Survey
Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana

By Kathleen K. Fowler, Moon H. Kim, Chad D. Menke, and Donald V. Arvin

Abstract 

 During September 12–15, 2008, rainfall ranging from 

2 to more than 11 inches fell on northwestern Indiana. The 

rainfall resulted in extensive flooding on many streams within 

the Lake Michigan and Kankakee River Basins during September 12–18, causing two deaths, evacuation of hundreds 

of residents, and millions of dollars of damage to residences, 

businesses, and infrastructure. In all, six counties in northwestern Indiana were declared Federal disaster areas. 

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages at four 

locations recorded new record peak streamflows as a result of 

the heavy rainfall. Peak-gage-height data, peak-streamflow 

data, annual exceedance probabilities, and recurrence intervals are tabulated in this report for 10 USGS streamgages 

in northwestern Indiana. Recurrence intervals of flood-peak 

streamflows were estimated to be greater than 100 years at six 

streamgages. Because flooding was particularly severe in the 

communities of Munster, Dyer, Hammond, Highland, Gary, 

Lake Station, Hobart, Schererville, Merrillville, Michiana 

Shores, and Portage, high-water-mark data collected after the 

flood were tabulated for those communities. Flood peak inundation maps and water-surface profiles for selected streams 

were made in a geographic information system by combining 

high-water-mark data with the highest resolution digital-elevation-model data available.

Introduction 

Flood data are needed by Federal, State, and local 

agencies to make informed decisions in meeting mission 

requirements related to flood hazard mitigation, planning, 

and response. For example, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Indiana Department of Natural 

Resources (IDNR), and Indiana Department of Homeland 

Security (IDHS) need timely information on the magnitudes 

and recurrence intervals1 of floods to help respond to flood 

damage, enhance emergency response management, protect 

infrastructure, provide recovery guidance from the National 

1

 Terms in bold type are defined in the glossary at the back of this report.

Flood Insurance Program and State regulatory programs, and 

plan for future flood events.

Heavy rains caused severe flooding during September 12–18, 2008, in parts of northwestern Indiana. Rainfall 

amounts from about 2 inches to more than 11 inches fell in 

northwestern Indiana on September 12–15 (National Climatic 

Data Center, 2008), causing the National Weather Service 

(NWS) to issue flash-flood warnings, areal flood warnings, and 

river flood warnings. During September 12–15, evacuations 

and water rescues were numerous in communities affected 

by the flooding. Flood impacts were particularly severe in 

communities in Lake, Porter, and La Porte Counties. The 

flooding caused two fatalities, major transportation disruptions, damage to thousands of homes and businesses, damage 

to dams and flood-control structures, and damage to critical 

facilities, including utilities and medical centers (Midwest 

Regional Climate Center, 2008). On September 20, 2008, 

Indiana Governor Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr., requested a major 

disaster declaration for parts of Indiana. Damage caused by the 

severe storms and flooding resulted in a Presidential Disaster Declaration on September 23, 2008, for six northwestern 

Indiana counties (Federal Emergency Management Agency, 

2008a). Given the severity of the September 2008 flooding in 

Indiana, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation 

with FEMA and IDNR, Division of Water, began this study 

to document the meteorological and hydrological conditions 

leading to the flood and to compile flood-peak gage heights, 

streamflows, annual exceedance probabilities, and recurrence intervals at USGS streamgages; construct flood profiles

and flood peak inundation maps; and summarize flood damages and impacts. 

The purpose of this report is to document the flood of 

September 2008. The meteorological and hydrologic conditions leading to the floods are discussed. Meteorological data 

were provided by the NWS and the Indiana State Climate 

Office, and hydrologic-condition information was obtained 

from streamflow data at USGS streamgages. Flood information is presented for 11 communities in the study area 

(fig.1). The communities include Munster, Dyer, Hammond, 

Highland, Gary, Hobart, Lake Station, Schererville, Merrillville, Michiana Shores, and Portage. Peak-gage-height and 

peak-streamflow data are presented for 10 USGS streamgages 

within the Lake Michigan Basin and the Kankakee River 
2 Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana

Basin. High-water marks set by the IDNR and the USGS 

were surveyed to obtain water-surface elevations for about 

37 miles of streams. The streams include the Little Calumet 

River, Deep River, Turkey Creek, Hart Ditch, Robbins Ditch, 

Dyer Ditch, and White Ditch. The high-water-mark data were 

used to produce flood-peak inundation maps and flood profiles 

for selected streams in the communities studied. Information 

for the flood damage and impact summary was provided by 

FEMA, NWS, IDHS, IDNR, the Indiana Office of Disaster 

Recovery, local agencies, news accounts and photographs, 

and corroborated testimony from individuals in affected 

communities. 

LAKE

PORTER

LA PORTE

ST. JOSEPH

MARSHALL

PULASKI

JASPER

NEWTON

STARKE

87o 15' W 86o 15' W

41o 45' N

40o 45' N

0 5 10 20 Miles

0 5 10 20 Kilometers

EXPLANATON

County boundary

Stream

Study community

Figure 1. Study area in northwestern Indiana.

INDIANA

Study Area

Michiana Shores

Portage

Merrillville Schererville

Dyer

Highland

Munster

Hobart

Lake Station

Hammond Gary

Plum Creek

Dyer Ditch

Hart Ditch

Little Calumet River Burns Ditch

Deep River

Turkey Creek

Robbins Ditch

White Ditch

Singleton Ditch

Little Calumet River

Salt Creek

Crooked

Creek

Mill Creek

Little Kankakee River

River

Kankakee

Kankakee River

Lake Michigan

Trail Creek

Iroquois River

Tippecanoe River

Yellow River Figure 1. Study area in northwestern Indiana.
Conditions Leading to the Flood 3

Conditions Leading to the Flood 

The September flooding in Indiana was caused by heavy 

rain falling on areas that had already received above-normal 

precipitation. A wetter than normal spring and late summer 

preceded the September flooding. Heavy rainfall in June caused 

record flooding in the central and southern parts of the state 

(Morlock and others, 2008). From January through August 

2008, northwestern Indiana received 30.25 inches of rain, more 

than 4 inches above normal (Indiana State Climate Office, 

2008a). In September this area received an average of 8.38 

inches, 261 percent of normal (Indiana State Climate Office, 

2008b). Early in September, the remnants of Hurricane Gustav 

drifted into the Midwest and merged with a cold front. During this event, 3 to 4 inches of rain fell in Illinois, Indiana, and 

into Michigan. About a week later, Hurricane Ike made landfall 

along the Texas Gulf Coast and brought additional rain to much 

of the same area as it followed a path similar to Hurricane Gustav’s through the Midwest. The remnants of hurricanes Gustav 

and Ike drenched areas from Missouri through Indiana with up 

to 3 times the normal September rainfall amount. Northwestern 

Indiana was especially hard hit by flooding rains. Portage (Porter County) received 11.46 inches of rain between September 

12 and 14, and South Bend (St. Joseph County) received 10.94 

inches of rain in the same period (Midwest Regional Climate 

Center, 2008). 

A map of estimated precipitation totals prepared from 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) radar data 

(NCDC NEXRAD Data Inventory, 2008) shows rainfall totals 

ranging from about 1 inch to more than 10 inches for September 12–15 across northwestern Indiana (fig. 2). Total rainfall 

amounts from selected NWS precipitation stations (table 1, 

fig. 2) for the same period ranged from 7.4 in. at Lowell, Lake 

County, to 11.2 in. at La Porte, La Porte County. Average recurrence intervals2

 (Bonnin and others, 2006) given in total rainfall 

amount in inches for a 4-day duration are presented in table 1. 

Average recurrence intervals were greater than 100 years at precipitation stations Crown Point 1N, Lake County, and Wanatah 

2 WNW, Porter County; greater than 200 years at Kingsbury 1 

N, La Porte County, and Valparaiso 5NNE, Porter County; and 

greater than 500 years at Indiana Dunes National Lakes (IDNL), 

Porter County, and LaPorte, La Porte County. A graph of daily 

cumulative rainfall (fig. 3) at seven NWS precipitation stations 

demonstrates the rainfall patterns for the 4-day period. For most 

of the stations listed in table 1, distribution of rainfall amounts 

throughout the 4-day period followed a pattern similar to that 

for the IDNL station (fig. 3). 

2

 The recurrence interval is the average interval of time within which the 

given event will be equaled or exceeded once (American Society of Civil 

Engineers, 1953, p. 1221). For example, the 100-year rainfall is the rainfall that would be exceeded or equaled, on long-term average, once in 100 

years. Recurrence interval relates the magnitude of an event to a probability of occurrence and does not imply that the event will happen at regular 

intervals; for example, two 100-year floods can occur within the same year 

at the same location. The reciprocal of the recurrence interval is the annual 

exceedance probability, which is the probability that a given event magnitude 

will be exceeded or equaled in any given year (Hodgkins and others, 2007). 

For example, the annual exceedance probability of the 100-year peak flood 

streamflow is 0.01. In other words, there is a 1-percent chance that the 100-

year peak flow will be exceeded or equaled in any given year.

Table 1. Total rainfall for September 12–15, 2008, and average-recurrence-interval rainfalls for a 4-day duration at selected National 

Weather Service precipitation stations (figure 2) in Indiana.

[Total rainfall from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (2008a). Average recurrence intervals from Bonnin and others (2006)]

Site name County

Average-recurrence-interval rainfall for 4-day duration (inches)

Total 

rainfall 

(inches)

50-year 100-year 200-year 500-year 1,000-year

Crown Point 1N Lake 9.3 7.5 8.4 9.4 10.8 12.0

Indiana Dunes Natl Lks Porter 10.8 7.1 7.9 8.8 10.1 11.2

Kingsbury 1 N La Porte 9.7 7.2 8.0 8.9 10.2 11.3

LaPorte La Porte 11.2 7.5 8.4 9.4 10.8 12.0

Lowell Lake 7.4 7.7 8.6 9.6 11.1 12.3

Valparaiso 5NNE Porter 9.8 7.3 8.2 9.1 10.5 11.6

Wanatah 2 WNW Porter 8.6 7.1 8.0 8.9 10.2 11.3
4 Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana

0 5 10 20 Miles

0 5 10 20 Kilometers

LaPorte

Kingsbury 1 N

Wanatah 2 WNW

Valparaiso 5NNE

Indiana Dunes Natl Lks

Crown Point 1N

Lowell

11.2" 10.8"

9.8" 9.7"

8.6" 9.3"

7.4"

LAKE

PORTER

LA PORTE

ST. JOSEPH

MARSHALL

PULASKI

JASPER

NEWTON

STARKE

87o 15' W 86o 15' W

41o 45' N

40o 45' N

1 to 1.99

2 to 2.99

3 to 3.99

4 to 4.99

5 to 5.99

6 to 7.99

8 to 9.99

10 and greater

County boundary

National Weather Service

precipitation station

Total 4-day rainfall at

precipitation station

EXPLANATION

Total precipitation for

September 12-15, 2008 (in inches)

11.2"

INDIANA

Study Area

Figure 2. Distribution of rainfall totals September 12-15, 2008, and rainfall totals for the National Weather

Service stations (by station name) listed in table 1. Rainfall-distribution data provided by the National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration, 2008b.

Figure 2. Distribution of rainfall totals September 12–15, 2008, and rainfall totals for the National Weather Service 

stations (by station name) listed in table 1. Rainfall-distribution data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (2008b).
Methods of Estimating the Magnitudes and Annual Exceedance Probabilities of Peak Streamflows 5

Collection of High-Water-Mark Data 

High-water marks were identified and flagged in the field 

by IDNR and USGS field crews after floodwaters receded. 

High-water marks were set along approximately 46 miles of 

streams after the floods. For this study, high-water marks were 

fully documented for about 37 stream miles on the following streams: Hart Ditch, Plum Creek, Dyer Ditch, the Little 

Calumet River, Turkey Creek, Deep River, Robbins Ditch, and 

White Ditch (fig.1). The IDNR, USGS, and IDHS collectively determined the areas where high-water marks were to 

be flagged in order to effectively document the flooding. The 

accuracy of high-water marks was rated subjectively by field 

personnel as “excellent,” “good,” “fair,” or “poor” according 

to guidelines of Lumia and others (1986). “Excellent” means 

the reported high-water mark is within 0.02 ft of the true highwater elevation; “good,” within 0.05 ft; “fair,” within 0.10 ft; 

and “poor,” less than “fair” accuracy.

High-water marks at each site were surveyed to obtain 

peak-water-surface elevations referenced to North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). High-water-mark 

descriptions, locations (latitude and longitude), and accuracy 

ratings are presented in appendix 1. 

Methods of Estimating the Magnitudes 

and Annual Exceedance Probabilities 

of Peak Streamflows

Estimation of Magnitudes

Peak streamflows documented in this study were determined at 10 USGS streamgages (table 2, fig. 4) by use of the 

rating curve (the relation between river height and flow) for 

each station. Rating curves at streamgages are developed by 

relating gage height to streamflow for a range of flows (Rantz 

and others, 1982). Streamflow data points used to develop 

a rating are determined most commonly by direct measurement at the gage or, if direct measurement is not possible, by 

indirect methods. The rating curve is interpolated between 

streamflow data points and can be extrapolated beyond the 

highest streamflow data point; however, excessive extrapolation of the rating at high gage heights can result in large errors 

in streamflow (Sherwood and others, 2007). 

Peak gage heights (table 2) were obtained either from 

electronic data recorders or from surveyed high-water marks 

where recorders or stage sensors either malfunctioned or 

were unavailable. The rating curve was used to compute peak 

streamflow (table 2) from peak gage height. Direct streamflow 

measurements, made during September 14–19, 2008 and during other periods of high flow in 2008, served as data points 

for rating-curve verification and extrapolation. 

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

9/10/08 9/11/08 9/12/08 9/13/08 9/14/08 9/15/08 9/16/08

CUMULATIVERAINFALL, INCHES

DATE

Crown Point 1N

Indiana Dunes Natl Lks

Kingsbury 1N

LaPorte

Lowell

Valparaiso 5NNE

Wanatah 2 WNW

Figure 3. Cumulative daily rainfall during September 11-16, 2008 in northwestern Indiana (National Oceanic

and Atmospheric Administration, 2008a).

Figure 3. Cumulative daily rainfall during September 11–16, 2008, in northwestern Indiana 

(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2008a).
6 Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana Table 2. Flood-peak gage heights, peak streamflows, and annual exceedance probability of peak streamflows during the flood of September 2008 at selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in Indiana. (Streamgage locations are shown in figure 4.) [mi2, square miles; ft, feet; ft3/s, cubic feet per second; GH, gage height; >, greater than; <, less than; %, percent] Station number Station name Drain- age area (mi2) Gage vertical datum (feet NGVD 29) Period of continu- ous record (water years)1 Length of re- cord of annual peaks (years) Peak flow for period of record prior to September 2008 Peak flow for September 2008 Annual exceedance prob- ability 2 for September 2008 peak streamflow Estimated stream- flow of 1% annual exceedance probability (ft3/s) Date Gage height (feet above gage datum) Stream- flow (ft3/s) Date Gage height (feet above gage datum) Stream- flow (ft3/s) 04093000 Deep River at Lake George Outlet at Hobart, IN 124 588.17 1948–2008 62 11/28/1990 3 17.58 4,230 9/15/2008 22.18 5,280 < 1% 4 4,710 04094000 Little Calumet River at Porter, IN 66.2 603.48 1946–2008 64 11/28/1990 5 10.93 3,880 9/15/2008 12.04 5,320 < 1% 4 3,560 04095300 Trail Creek at Michigan City, IN 54.1 584.02 1970–94, 2008 26 6/9/1993 12.97 4,240 9/14/2008 13.07 3,310 < 1% 4 2,950 05515500 Kankakee River at Davis, IN 6 537 664.68 1925–2008 81 1/14/2005 7 13.05 1,930 9/15/2008 13.74 1,900 < 1% 4 1,800 05517500 Kankakee River at Dunns Bridge, IN 8 1,352 649.65 1949–2008 60 3/23/1982 13.38 5,870 9/18/2008 12.02 4,830 4–10% 4 5,870

05517530 Kankakee River near 

Kouts, IN

9 1,376 645.00 1975–2008 34 3/24/1982 14.52 6,420 9/17/2008 13.59 5,090 4% 4 5,950

05518000 Kankakee River at Shelby, 

IN

10 1,779 628.13 1923–2008 86 3/26/1982 11 Unknown 7,650 9/19/2008 12 12.86 6,230 4% 4 7,300

05536179 Hart Ditch at Dyer, IN 37.6 607.38 1990–2008 19 11/28/1990 13 15.33 3,010 9/14/2008 16.76 3,110 < 1% 4 1,94005536190 Hart Ditch at Munster, IN 70.7 591.27 1943–2008 66 9/13/2006 14 8.58 3,260 9/14/2008 9.94 15 3,840 < 1% 4 3,48005536195 Little Calumet River at 

Munster, IN

16 90 580.72 1959–2008 50 4/28/1959 17 13.67 1,510 9/15/2008 18 16.70 15 915 > 10% 4 1,450

1 A water year is the 12-month period from October 1 through September 30 and is designated by the calendar year in which it ends.2 The annual exceedance probability is the probability that a given event magnitude will be equaled or exceeded in any given year and is the reciprocal of the recurrence interval. The recurrence interval is the average interval of time within which the given 

flood will be equaled or exceeded once (American Society of Engineers, 1953, p. 1221). The annual exceedance probability for a recurrence interval of 10 years is 0.10 (10%); for 25 years, 0.04 (4%); for 50 years, 0.02 (2%); and for 100 years, 0.01 (1%).

3 A higher maximum gage height occurred during a separate event: GH=19.48 ft on October 11, 1954.4 Coordinated discharge from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of Water publication entitled “Coordinated Discharges of Selected Streams in Indiana,” accessed February 10, 2010, at http://www.state.in.us/dnr/water/4898.htm.5 A higher maximum gage height occurred during a separate event: GH=11.66 ft on October 10, 1954.6 Of the 537 mi2 total drainage area, 137 mi2 does not contribute directly to surface runoff.7 A higher maximum gage height occurred during a separate event: GH=13.79 ft on July 19, 1996.8 Of the 1,352 mi2 total drainage area, 192 mi2 does not contribute directly to surface runoff.9 Of the 1,376 mi2 total drainage area, 194 mi2 does not contribute directly to surface runoff.10 Of the 1,779 mi2 total drainage area, 201 mi2 does not contribute directly to surface runoff.11 A higher maximum gage height occurred during this same event: GH=12.98 ft on March 24, 1982.12 A higher maximum gage height occurred during this same event: GH=13.04 ft on September 18, 2008.13 A higher maximum gage height occurred during a separate event: GH=15.69 ft on August 24, 2007.14 A higher maximum gage height occurred during a separate event: GH=9.22 ft on August 24, 2007.15 Estimated.16 During times of floods on Deep River, flow may enter basin from eastern portion of the Little Calumet River Basin; or, during times of floods on Hart Ditch, flow may leave the basin and enter eastern portion of the Little Calumet River Basin.17 A higher maximum gage height occurred during a separate event: GH=17.03 ft on November 28, 1990.18 A higher maximum gage height occurred during this same event: GH=17.30 ft on September 14, 2008.
Methods of Estimating the Magnitudes and Annual Exceedance Probabilities of Peak Streamflows 7

05515500

05517530

05517500

05518000

04095300

05536195 04094000

05536190

05536179

04093000

0 5 10 20 Miles

0 5 10 20 Kilometers

EXPLANATON

County boundary

Stream

Streams where peak streamflow

was measured or estimated

Study community

U.S. Geological Survey streamgage

and identifier

Figure 4. Locations of selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages (see table 2 for flood-related data).

INDIANA

Study Area

05517500

LAKE

PORTER

LA PORTE

ST. JOSEPH

MARSHALL

PULASKI

JASPER

NEWTON

STARKE

87o 15' W 86o 15' W

41o 45' N

40o 45' N

Michiana Shores

Portage

Merrillville Schererville

Dyer

Highland

Munster Hobart

Lake Station

Hammond Gary

Plum Creek

Dyer Ditch

Hart Ditch

Little Calumet River Burns Ditch

Deep River

Turkey Creek

Robbins Ditch

White Ditch

Singleton Ditch

Little Calumet River

Salt Creek

Crooked

Creek

Mill Creek

Little Kankakee River

River

Kankakee

Kankakee River

Lake Michigan

Trail Creek

Iroquois River

Tippecanoe River

Yellow River

Figure 4. Locations of selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages. (See table 2 for flood-related data.)
8 Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana

Estimation of Annual Exceedance Probabilities

Annual exceedance probabilities (the reciprocal of the 

recurrence intervals) associated with the peak streamflows for 

10 active streamgages (table 2) were estimated to indicate the 

relative magnitude of the September 2008 flooding. Annual 

exceedance probabilities were obtained from “coordinated” 

discharge-frequency curves available in the IDNR online 

publication “Coordinated Discharges of Selected Streams 

in Indiana” (http://www.in.gov/dnr/water/4898.htm). The 

methods used to produce the flood discharge-frequency curves 

are outlined in Bulletin 17B, the “Guidelines for Determining 

Flood Flow Frequency” (U.S. Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data, 1982). The coordinated discharge-frequency curves were established and are maintained according 

to a Memorandum of Understanding dated May 6, 1976, 

that was signed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil 

Conservation Service (now the Natural Resources Conservation Service), the USGS, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

and the IDNR. These agencies agreed to coordinate dischargefrequency values for use in water-resources investigations and 

planning activities in Indiana.

Estimated Magnitudes and Annual 

Exceedance Probabilities of 

Peak Streamflows for the Flood of 

September 2008 

Peak-gage-height data, peak-streamflow data, and estimated annual exceedance probabilities from the September 

flood for 10 USGS streamgages in northwestern Indiana are 

listed in table 2, and streamgage locations are shown in figure 

4. New streamflow peaks of record were set at 4 of the 10 

streamgages. For the 10 streamgages, the estimated annual 

exceedance probabilities were less than 0.01 (1 percent) for 6 

streamgages, 0.04 (4 percent) at 2 streamgages, between 0.04 

(4 percent) and 0.1 (10 percent) at 1 streamgage, and greater 

than 0.1 (10 percent) at 1 streamgage. In terms of recurrence 

intervals for the 10 streamgages, estimated recurrence intervals were greater than 100 years at 6 streamgages, 25 years at 

2 streamgages, 10–25 years at 1 streamgage, and less than 10 

years at 1 streamgage. 

Flood-Peak Inundation Maps

Flood-peak inundation maps were produced for four 

stream reaches in the study area (fig. 4) by use of geographic 

information system (GIS) software and programs. High-watermark elevations (NAVD 88) and locations (latitude-longitude) 

were used in conjunction with GIS land-surface elevation data 

files, termed “digital elevation models” (DEMs), to develop 

the maps. For study reaches that included a streamgage, the 

peak gage height recorded by the streamgage also was used to 

develop the maps. GIS Arc Macro Language (AML) programs 

were written to produce a plane representing the flood-peak 

water surface that was fit through the high-water marks 

and that sloped in the direction of water flow. The program 

duplicated the high-water-mark elevation data points across 

the flood plain perpendicular to the direction of the flood 

flow. Elevations between high-water marks are proportional 

interpolations of the high-water-mark data and are positioned 

to generate a flood surface sloping with the water flow. A 

TIN (triangular irregular network) surface was fit through the 

data points (TIN-generated surfaces pass exactly through the 

data-point elevations). After the flood surface was generated, a 

flood-depth map was made by subtracting the DEM from the 

flood surface. The flood-peak inundation maps were produced 

in a GIS file format that provides peak flood extent and depth. 

This format allows the maps to be overlain upon other maps 

and aerial photographs and to be imported into various GIS 

applications, such as FEMA’s HAZUS–MH program (Federal 

Emergency Management Agency, 2008b) to estimate flood 

damages. Selected flood-map illustrations created from the 

peak flood extent and depth GIS files and from aerial photographs are presented in appendix 2. In the cases of Hart Ditch 

and Dyer Ditch, inundation maps were not developed because 

of inaccuracies in the DEM data and because of credible local 

reports that the floodwaters generally did not overtop the 

constructed boundaries of the drainage channel. An inundation map was not produced for Robbins Ditch, also because of 

DEM data inaccuracies.

Flood-Peak Profiles

The AML programs used to produce flood-peak maps 

were developed further to generate flood-peak profile plots. 

Flood profiles were produced for seven streams in the study 

area (appendix 3). The profiles were produced by plotting 

high-water-mark elevations (NAVD 88) by mile of stream as 

measured upstream from the mouth of the stream. The water 

surface between high-water marks was estimated by linear 

interpolation. A linear interpolation between high-water marks 

is an approximation of the actual water surface, which may 

have departed substantially from the water surface depicted in 

the profiles in some locations. For example, it is common for 

the water surface to drop between the upstream and downstream face of a bridge or culvert; potential water-surface 

elevation drops may not be reflected in the profiles. Locations 

of street crossings over the streams were added to the plots in 

another software package. The river-mile location of the street 

crossings was calculated by GIS-based programs. 
Summary 9

Description of Flood Damages and 

Impacts 

Record flooding, power outages, and evacuations affected 

thousands of northwestern Indiana residents during September 2008 and caused millions of dollars worth of damage to 

homes, businesses, and infrastructure. Areas of flooding were 

extensive in the communities of Munster, Dyer, Hobart, Portage, and Michiana Shores as local streams and ditches rose 

rapidly during September 12–15, 2008. Hart Ditch at Dyer and 

Hart Ditch at Munster both peaked on September 14 at stages 

and discharges that exceeded the previous records. Trail 

Creek at Michigan City and Little Calumet River at Munster 

also peaked on September 14, both at record stage. Little Calumet River at Porter, Deep River at Lake George Outlet, and 

the Kankakee River at Davis continued rising and peaked the 

following day, September 15. Both Deep River and the Little 

Calumet River (at Porter) exceeded previous record stage and 

discharge. Stream reaches further downstream on the Kankakee River peaked from September 17 to 19.

The following is a summary of flood impacts compiled 

after September 2008:

• The flooding caused two fatalities and numerous injuries.

• More than 5,000 evacuations and water rescues were 

made during the flooding (Shipe, 2008).

• About 180 Indiana National Guard Soldiers and 

Airmen supported relief missions during flooding in 

northern Indiana.

• Food and drinking-water distribution points were set 

up in the affected counties.

• Levee breaches occurred in Lake and Newton Counties.

• Main electric transmission lines were damaged.

• Emergency Services Radio Towers were damaged by 

wind.

• Transportation disruptions were widespread. A 40-mile 

stretch of Interstate 65 was closed for 2 days (Midwest 

Regional Climate Center, 2008).

• Runoff from tributaries carried massive amounts of 

sediment into Lake Michigan, contaminating the water, 

compromising nearshore navigation, and raising Escherichia coli bacteria concentrations to levels unsafe for 

swimming (Whitman, 2008).

• State disaster centers helped nearly 25,000 people in 

Lake, Porter, and La Porte Counties whose lives were 

disrupted by the severe weather. The centers were open 

from September 25 to October 1 and included 300 

Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) 

employees, who took 24,137 applications for emergency food stamps; additionally, FSSA’s Division 

of Mental Health and Addiction deployed 13 crisis 

counselors to provide counseling services to more than 

2,600 residents. The Indiana Department of Insurance 

and Indiana Department of Workforce Development 

each assisted several hundred people with questions 

about insurance policies or employment. The State’s 

Office of Information Technology set up hundreds of 

computers at six centers to aid storm victims making 

applications for assistance. The Indiana Housing and 

Community Development Authority provided temporary housing for more than 250 families (Indiana 

Office of Disaster Recovery, 2008).

On September 23, 2008, President George W. Bush 

declared that a major disaster existed in northwestern Indiana, 

and that declaration cleared the way for assistance for residents 

and businesses. As of February 2009, a total of 26,047 homeowners, renters, and business owners had applied for disaster 

assistance from FEMA. Grants and loans were approved for 

$78,554,288, which included $28,519,988 in housing assistance, 

$5,761,698 in other needs assistance (ONA), and $28,774,500 

in U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loans (Federal 

Emergency Management Agency, 2008c).

Summary

Heavy rains resulted in severe flooding on September 

12–18, 2008, and caused millions of dollars worth of damage 

to homes, businesses, and infrastructure in northwestern Indiana. Two deaths were attributed to the flooding, and thousands 

of persons were evacuated from flooded areas. 

Estimated rainfall totals ranging from 2 to more than 

11 inches fell during September 12–15 upon saturated soils 

and caused record streamflows. Average recurrence intervals 

of total rainfall amounts for a 4-day duration ranged from 

greater than 100 years to greater than 500 years at six NWS 

precipitation stations. Given the severity of the September 

2008 flooding in Indiana, the USGS, in cooperation with the 

FEMA and the IDNR, Division of Water, completed this study 

to document the meteorological and hydrological conditions 

leading to the flood; compile flood-peak gage heights, streamflows, and annual exceedance probabilities at selected USGS 

streamgages; construct flood profiles and peak-gage-height 

inundation maps; and summarize flood damages and impacts.
10 Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana

References Cited

American Society of Civil Engineers, 1953, Report of the 

subcommittee on the joint division committee on floods: 

American Society of Civil Engineers Transactions, v. 118, 

p.1220–1230.

Bonnin, G.M.; Martin, Deborah; Lin, Bingzhang; Parzybok, 

Tye; Yekta, Michael; and Riley, David, 2006, Precipitationfrequency atlas of the United States: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration Atlas 14, v. 2, ver. 3.0 [variously paged], accessed April 5, 2010, at http://www.weather.

gov/oh/hdsc/PF_documents/Atlas14_Volume2.pdf.

Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2008a, 2008 Federal 

disaster declarations: Accessed March 29, 2010, at http://

www.fema.gov/news/disasters.fema.

Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2008b, HAZUS: 

Accessed October 7, 2008, at http://www.fema.gov/plan/

prevent/hazus/.

Federal Emergency Management Agency, 2008c, Federal 

Assistance for Indiana for Hurricane Ike tops $78 million: 

Accessed April 2, 2010, at http://www.fema.gov/news/

newsrelease.fema?id=47493.

Hodgkins, G.A., Stewart, G.J., Cohn, T.A., and Dudley, R.W., 

2007, Estimated magnitudes and recurrence intervals of 

peak flows on the Mousam and Little Ossipee Rivers for 

the flood of April 2007 in southern Maine: U.S. Geological 

Survey Open-File Report 2007–1146, 5 p., accessed August 

12, 2009, at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1146/.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources [n.d.], Coordinated 

discharges of selected streams in Indiana: Accessed February 10, 2010, at http://www.in.gov/dnr/water/4898.htm.

Indiana Office of Disaster Recovery, September 2008 flood: 

Accessed June 12, 2009, at http://www.in.gov/gov/odr.htm.

Indiana State Climate Office, 2008a, August 2008 climate 

summary: 12 p. (Also available at http://climate.agry.

purdue.edu/climate/summary/2008-08.pdf.)

Indiana State Climate Office, 2008b, September 2008 climate summary: 14 p. (Also available at http://climate.agry.

purdue.edu/climate/summary/2008-09.pdf.)

Langbein, W.B., and Iseri, K.T., 1960, General introduction 

and hydrologic definitions, Manual of Hydrology. Part 1, 

General surface-water techniques: U.S. Geological Survey 

Water-Supply Paper 1541–A, 29 p., accessed September 6, 

2008, at http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/usgspubs/wsp/wsp1541A.

Lumia, Richard; Burke, P.M.; and Johnston, W.H., 1986, 

Flooding of December 29, 1984, through January 2, 1985, 

in northern New York State, with flood profiles of the 

Black and Salmon Rivers: U.S. Geological Survey WaterResources Investigations Report 86–4191, 53 p.

Midwest Regional Climate Center, Midwest Climate 

Watch, 2008, Midwest highlights, September 2008: 

Accessed March 4, 2010, at http://mrcc.isws.illinois.edu/

cliwatch/0809/080916.htm.

Morlock, S.E., Menke, C.D., Arvin, D.V., and Kim, M.H., 

2008, Flood of June 7–9, 2008, in central and southern Indiana: U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2008–1322, 

15 p., 3 app.

National Climatic Data Center, Midwestern U.S. flood overview: Accessed March 4, 2010, at http://www.ncdc.noaa.

gov/sotc/?report=national&year=2008&month=9&submitt

ed=Get+Report.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2008a, 

Climatological Data, Indiana, September 2008, Vol. 113, 

Number 09, ISSN 0145-053, 26 p.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2008b, 

NCDC NEXRAD data inventory, 2008: Accessed September 15, 2009, at http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/radar/

radardata.html.

National Weather Service, 2005, National Weather Service 

glossary: Accessed September 22, 2008, at http://www.

weather.gov/glossary/.

Rantz, S.E., and others, 1982, Measurement and computation of streamflow—Volume 1, Measurement of stage and 

discharge, and volume 2, Computation of discharge: U.S. 

Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2175, 631 p.

Sherwood, J.M., Ebner, A.E., Koltun, G.F., and Astifan, B.N., 

2007, Flood of June 22–24, 2006, in north-central Ohio, 

with emphasis on the Cuyahoga River near Independence: 

U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 

2007–5161, 18 p., accessed August 12, 2009, at http://pubs.

usgs.gov/sir/2007/5161/.

Shipe, A.P., 2008, National Weather Service monthly report of 

river and flood conditions for Indiana: September 2008, 2 p.

U.S. Interagency Advisory Committee on Water Data, 1982, 

Guidelines for determining flood flow frequency, Bulletin 

17–B of the Hydrology Subcommittee: Reston, Virginia, 

U.S. Geological Survey, Office of Water Data Coordination, 

[183 p.].

Whitman, R.L., 2008, Hurricane Ike’s effects linger in 

the Great Lakes: U.S. Geological Survey Newsroom 

article, accessed March 30, 2010, at http://www.usgs.gov/

newsroom/article.asp?ID=2030.
Glossary 11

Glossary

The following definitions, except where noted, are from 

Langbein and Iseri (1960).

annual exceedance probability The probability that a given 

event magnitude will be exceeded or equaled in any given 

year. For example, the annual exceedance probability of the 

100-year peak flood streamflow is 0.01. In other words, there 

is a 1-percent chance that the 100-year peak flow will be 

exceeded or equaled in any given year.

cold front A zone separating two air masses, of which the 

cooler, denser mass is advancing and replacing the warmer 

(National Weather Service, 2005).

cubic feet per second A unit expressing rates of discharge. 

One cubic foot per second is equal to the discharge of a stream 

of rectangular cross section, 1 foot wide and 1 foot deep, 

flowing water an average velocity of 1 foot per second. 

flood peak The highest value of the stage or discharge 

attained by a flood; thus, peak stage or peak discharge. “Flood 

crest” has nearly the same meaning, but since it connotes the 

top of the flood wave, it is properly used only in referring to 

stage—thus, “crest stage,” but not “crest discharge.” 

flood plain A strip of relatively smooth land bordering a 

stream, built of sediment carried by the stream and dropped 

in the slack water beyond the influence of the swiftest current. 

It is called a living flood plain if it is overflowed in times of 

highwater, but a fossil flood plain if it is beyond the reach of 

the highest flood.

flood profile A graph of elevation of the water surface of a 

river in flood, plotted as ordinate, against distance, measured 

in the downstream direction, plotted as abscissa. A flood 

profile may be drawn to show elevation at a given time or 

crests during a particular flood.

gage height The water-surface elevation referred to 

some arbitrary gage datum. Gage height is often used 

interchangeably with the more general term “stage,” although 

gage height is more appropriate when used with a reading on 

a gage.

recurrence interval (return period) The average interval of 

time within which the given flood will be equaled or exceeded 

once.

stream A general term for a body of flowing water. In 

hydrology the term is generally applied to the water flowing in 

a natural channel as distinct from a canal.

streamflow The discharge that occurs in a natural channel. 

Although the term “discharge” can be applied to the flow of a 

canal, the word “streamflow” uniquely describes the discharge 

in a surface stream course.

streamgage A gaging station where a record of discharge of 

a stream is obtained. Within the U.S. Geological Survey this 

term is used only for those gaging stations where a continuous 

record of gage-height is obtained.
12 Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana

Appendix 1. Site Descriptions and High-Water Marks at Study Sites, Flood of 

September 2008, Indiana.

[Vertical coordinate data are referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). Horizontal coordinate data are referenced to the North 

American Datum of 1983. Approximate quantitative indications of accuracy of high-water-mark ratings: Excellent, ± 0.02 foot; Good, ± 0.05 foot; Fair, ± 

0.10 foot; and Poor, > 0.10 foot (Lumia and others ,1986); for bank of nearest watercourse, “right” and “left” refer to an observation looking in the downstream direction of the watercourse. RM, reference mark]

Community 

name

Elevation 

(feet 

above 

NAVD 88)

Latitude Longitude High-water-mark description

Highwatermark 

rating

Nearest 

watercourse

Bank of 

nearest 

watercourse

Dyer 655.61 41° 28’ 17.9” 87° 30’ 12.7” Seed line on maple tree Good Dyer Ditch Left

Dyer 657.00 41° 28’ 18.6” 87° 30’ 12.4” Seed line on maple tree Good Dyer Ditch Left

Dyer 653.69 41° 28’ 19.3” 87° 30’ 12.2” Seed line on hickory tree Good Dyer Ditch Left

Dyer 652.98 41° 28’ 19.6” 87° 30’ 12.1” Drift line on willow tree Good Dyer Ditch Left

Dyer 638.78 41° 28’ 43.8” 87° 30’ 11.8” Mud line on willow tree Good Dyer Ditch Right

Dyer 638.68 41° 28’ 45.1” 87° 30’ 11.5” Drift line on elm tree Good Dyer Ditch Left

Dyer 639.26 41° 28’ 45.7” 87° 30’ 11.4” Seed line on willow tree Good Dyer Ditch Left

Dyer 629.64 41° 29’ 27.6” 87° 29’ 28.2” Mud line on maple tree Good Dyer Ditch Right

Dyer 629.69 41° 29’ 28.0” 87° 29’ 29.7” Mud line on catalpa tree Good Dyer Ditch Right

Dyer 629.45 41° 29’ 30.1” 87° 29’ 29.5” Mud line on catalpa tree Good Dyer Ditch Right

Dyer 646.40 41° 28’ 11.6” 87° 31’ 51.8” Seed/Mud line on utility pole Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 646.40 41° 28’ 12.4” 87° 31’ 56.3” Seed/Mud line on bridge Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 646.00 41° 28’ 13.3” 87° 31’ 56.3” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 646.00 41° 28’ 14.0” 87° 31’ 55.9” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 635.00 41° 29’ 26.7” 87° 31’ 19.4” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 634.90 41° 29’ 27.0” 87° 31’ 18.4” Seed/Mud line on bridge Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 634.80 41° 29’ 27.3” 87° 31’ 17.3” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 634.70 41° 29’ 27.6” 87° 31’ 16.9” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 632.40 41° 29’ 35.4” 87° 31’ 12.6” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 631.90 41° 29’ 36.1” 87° 31’ 11.6” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 631.90 41° 29’ 39.7” 87° 31’ 9.8” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 631.70 41° 29’ 43.1” 87° 31’ 8.4” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 631.60 41° 29’ 43.5” 87° 31’ 8.5” Seed/Mud line on bridge Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 631.50 41° 29’ 44.4” 87° 31’ 7.7” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 631.40 41° 29’ 44.9” 87° 31’ 7.4” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 632.80 41° 29’ 54.4” 87° 31’ 1.1” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 629.70 41° 29’ 57.4” 87° 30’ 59.7” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 629.60 41° 29’ 57.6” 87° 30’ 59.4” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 628.00 41° 29’ 58.7” 87° 30’ 58.3” Seed/Mud line on bridge Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 627.50 41° 30’ 0.6” 87° 30’ 56.8” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 623.70 41° 30’ 28.1” 87° 30’ 38.1” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 623.60 41° 30’ 29.3” 87° 30’ 37.8” Seed/Mud line on bridge Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 623.50 41° 30’ 29.9” 87° 30’ 36.4” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 623.50 41° 30’ 30.5” 87° 30’ 36.0” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 621.10 41° 30’ 35.7” 87° 30’ 33.3” Seed/Mud line on bridge Poor Hart Ditch Right

Dyer 619.30 41° 31’ 21.0” 87° 30’ 4.9” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 619.30 41° 31’ 22.0” 87° 30’ 4.4” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 619.60 41° 31’ 22.6” 87° 30’ 4.3” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 619.60 41° 31’ 23.2” 87° 30’ 3.8” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 617.20 41° 31’ 44.2” 87° 29’ 50.4” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 617.20 41° 31’ 44.7” 87° 29’ 50.1” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 617.10 41° 31’ 45.7” 87° 29’ 49.4” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Dyer 617.10 41° 31’ 46.4” 87° 29’ 49.1” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left
Appendix 1. Site Descriptions and High-Water Marks at Study Sites, Flood of September 2008, Indiana. 13

[Vertical coordinate data are referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). Horizontal coordinate data are referenced to the North 

American Datum of 1983. Approximate quantitative indications of accuracy of high-water-mark ratings: Excellent, ± 0.02 foot; Good, ± 0.05 foot; Fair, ± 

0.10 foot; and Poor, > 0.10 foot (Lumia and others ,1986); for bank of nearest watercourse, “right” and “left” refer to an observation looking in the downstream direction of the watercourse. RM, reference mark]

Community 

name

Elevation 

(feet 

above 

NAVD 88)

Latitude Longitude High-water-mark description

Highwatermark 

rating

Nearest 

watercourse

Bank of 

nearest 

watercourse

Gary 598.97 41° 34’ 19.0” 87° 19’ 13.0” Mud Line in gage house Fair Little Calumet Right

Gary 598.97 41° 34’ 22.5” 87° 19’ 19.7” Tape up from water surface to 

levee

Poor Little Calumet Left

Gary 596.99 41° 34’ 19.8” 87° 19’ 12.4” Mud line on tree Fair Little Calumet Right

Gary 597.17 41° 34’ 41.9” 87° 18’ 24.4” Tape up from water surface to RM Poor Little Calumet Left

Highland 616.50 41° 31’ 49.8” 87° 29’ 45.8” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Right

Highland 616.30 41° 31’ 50.2” 87° 29’ 45.3” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Right

Highland 615.70 41° 31’ 52.1” 87° 29’ 45.4” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 615.70 41° 31’ 52.5” 87° 29’ 45.3” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 613.70 41° 32’ 12.0” 87° 29’ 33.4” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 613.70 41° 32’ 12.7” 87° 29’ 33.2” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 612.90 41° 32’ 16.2” 87° 29’ 30.4” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 612.90 41° 32’ 16.9” 87° 29’ 29.9” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 610.90 41° 32’ 33.9” 87° 29’ 19.5” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 610.70 41° 32’ 34.8” 87° 29’ 18.9” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 610.40 41° 32’ 37.1” 87° 29’ 17.2” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 610.30 41° 32’ 37.5” 87° 29’ 16.9” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 603.00 41° 32’ 25.0” 87° 28’ 52.1” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 603.10 41° 33’ 25.5” 87° 28’ 52.3” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 603.20 41° 33’ 27.2” 87° 28’ 51.9” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 603.00 41° 33’ 27.7” 87° 28’ 51.8” Seed/Mud line Poor Hart Ditch Left

Highland 598.72 41° 33’ 37.2” 87° 23’ 37.0” Seed/Mud line on elm tree Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 598.79 41° 33’ 35.3” 87° 23’ 37.6” Seed/Drift line on bridge Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 599.07 41° 33’ 34.3” 87° 23’ 38.1” Seed/Drift line Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 599.10 41° 33’ 38.9” 87° 24’ 11.3” Seed/Drift line on bridge Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 598.96 41° 33’ 36.8” 87° 24’ 13.0” Seed/Drift line on birch tree Good Little Calumet Left

Highland 599.47 41° 33’ 38.4” 87° 24’ 29.1” Seed/Drift line on cottonwood tree Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 599.17 41° 33’ 38.5” 87° 24’ 30.0” Mud/Seed line on maple tree Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 599.27 41° 33’ 51.2” 87° 24’ 48.0” Mud/Seed line on maple tree Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 599.27 41° 33’ 49.8” 87° 24’ 46.8” Mud/Seed line on elm tree Good Little Calumet Left

Highland 598.86 41° 34’ 11.1” 87° 27’ 41.4” Seed/Drift line on bridge Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 599.11 41° 34’ 10.9” 87° 27’ 42.3” Mud/Seed line on bridge Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 598.96 41° 34’ 9.9” 87° 27’ 59.9” Mud/Seed line on bridge Good Little Calumet Left

Highland 599.16 41° 34’ 11.1” 87° 28’ 0.3” Mud/Seed line on bridge Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 600.17 41° 34’ 6.8” 87° 28’ 27.7” Mud/Seed line on boxelder tree Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 599.57 41° 34’ 6.0” 87° 28’ 29.8” Seed/Drift line on bridge Good Little Calumet Right

Highland 597.72 41° 33’ 58.3” 87° 29’ 6.0” Mud line on utilty pole Good Little Calumet Left

Highland 597.71 41° 33’ 58.4” 87° 29’ 8.0” Mud line on utilty pole Good Little Calumet Left

Highland 600.62 41° 33’ 58.7” 87° 29’ 11.8” Mud/Seed line on ash tree Good Little Calumet Left

Hobart 610.95 41° 32’ 5.6” 87° 15’ 28.3” Seed line on cottonwood tree Fair Deep River Left

Hobart 610.00 41° 32’ 8.3” 87° 15’ 26.6” Seed line on ash tree Good Deep River Left

Hobart 609.93 41° 32’ 6.1” 87° 15’ 28.2” Seed line on bridge Good Deep River Left

Hobart 609.99 41° 32’ 12.9” 87° 15’ 20.5” Mud line on ash tree Good Deep River Left

Hobart 606.42 41° 32’ 13.4” 87° 15’ 19.2” Seed line on sassafrass tree Good Deep River Left

Hobart 605.58 41° 32’ 49.4” 87° 14’ 54.2” Seed line on guardrail Good Deep River Right

Hobart 605.13 41° 32’ 49.6” 87° 14’ 57” Seed line on concrete wingwall Good Deep River Left

Hobart 604.65 41° 33’ 1.5” 87° 15’ 9.1” Mud line on mulberry tree Good Deep River Left

Hobart 604.65 41° 33’ 1.8” 87° 15’ 9.1” Seed line on cottonwood tree Good Deep River Left

Hobart 604.11 41° 33’ 4.1” 87° 15’ 8.5” Mud line on bridge Good Deep River Left
14 Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana

[Vertical coordinate data are referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). Horizontal coordinate data are referenced to the North 

American Datum of 1983. Approximate quantitative indications of accuracy of high-water-mark ratings: Excellent, ± 0.02 foot; Good, ± 0.05 foot; Fair, ± 

0.10 foot; and Poor, > 0.10 foot (Lumia and others ,1986); for bank of nearest watercourse, “right” and “left” refer to an observation looking in the downstream direction of the watercourse. RM, reference mark]

Community 

name

Elevation 

(feet 

above 

NAVD 88)

Latitude Longitude High-water-mark description

Highwatermark 

rating

Nearest 

watercourse

Bank of 

nearest 

watercourse

Lake Station 602.92 41° 33’ 27.0” 87° 14’ 29.6” Mud line on cottonwood Good Deep River Right

Lake Station 602.67 41° 33’ 26.6” 87° 14’ 27.8” Mud line on box elder Good Deep River Right

Lake Station 602.73 41° 33’ 27.2” 87° 14’ 25.1” Mud line on cottonwood tree Good Deep River Right

Lake Station 601.45 41° 34’ 19.0” 87° 14’ 22.0” Seed line on cottonwood tree Good Deep River Left

Lake Station 601.68 41° 34’ 19.3” 87° 14’ 20.0” Mud line on cottonwood tree Good Deep River Right

Lake Station 601.42 41° 34’ 18.1” 87° 14’ 23.4” Seed line on locust tree Good Deep River Right

Lake Station 601.38 41° 34’ 17.4” 87° 14’ 28.4” Mud line on tree Good Deep River Right

Merrillville 614.83 41° 30’ 40.5” 87° 18’ 28.8” Seed line on basswood tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 614.79 41° 30’ 41.4” 87° 18’ 27.4” Seed line on ash tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 614.91 41° 30’ 43.8” 87° 18’ 24.0” Seed line on maple tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 614.91 41° 30’ 44.4” 87° 18’ 22.9” Seed line on pine tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 615.24 41° 30’ 36.4” 87° 19’ 5.3” Seed line on ash tree Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 615.30 41° 30’ 36.1” 87° 19’ 6.0” Seed line on buckeye tree Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 615.54 41° 30’ 38.2” 87° 19’ 14.8” Mud line on buckeye Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 615.63 41° 30’ 37.9” 87° 19’ 15.0” Mud line on oak tree Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 615.76 41° 30’ 27.3” 87° 19’ 26.7” Mud line on oak tree Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 615.93 41° 30’ 27.1” 87° 19’ 26.9” Seed line on birch tree Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 615.96 41° 30’ 24.9” 87° 19’ 29.5” Mud line on cottonwood tree Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 616.15 41° 30’ 25.6” 87° 19’ 29.2” Mud line on ash tree Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 617.11 41° 30’ 16.0” 87° 20’ 0.5” Seed line on oak tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 617.20 41° 30’ 16.0” 87° 20’ 0.7” Seed line on catalpa tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 617.61 41° 30’ 15.9” 87° 20’ 12.7” Drift line on utility pole Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 618.53 41° 30’ 15.3” 87° 20’ 13.9” Seed line on boxelder tree Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 620.14 41° 30’ 8.6” 87° 20’ 40.7” Mud line on walnut tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 620.19 41° 30’ 8.8” 87° 20’ 42.3” Seed line on walnut tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 620.48 41° 30’ 8.0” 87° 20’ 42.1” Seed line on tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 620.41 41° 30’ 6.6” 87° 20’ 42.7” Mud line on birch tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 620.64 41° 30’ 5.4” 87° 20’ 42.6” Seed line on ash tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 621.12 41° 29’ 54.7” 87° 21’ 48.5” Mud line on oak tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 621.30 41° 29’ 53.8” 87° 21’ 51.0” Mud line on oak tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Merrillville 621.73 41° 29’ 57.8” 87° 21’ 55.8” Mud line on utilty pole Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 621.79 41° 29’ 57.9” 87° 21’ 54.9” Seed line on utility pole Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 623.89 41° 29’ 56.9” 87° 22’ 46.5” Seed line on bridge Good Turkey Creek Left

Merrillville 623.91 41° 29’ 57.3” 87° 22’ 46.5” Seed line on bridge Good Turkey Creek Left

Michiana 

Shores

603.86 41° 45’ 20.7” 86° 49’ 15.1” Drift line on cherry tree Fair White Ditch Right

Michiana 

Shores

603.82 41° 45’ 21.8” 86° 49’ 13.6” Drift line on boxelder tree Fair White Ditch Right

Michiana 

Shores

602.87 41° 45’ 23.3” 86° 49’ 12.8” Seed line on silver maple tree Fair White Ditch Left

Michiana 

Shores

603.29 41° 45’ 23.7” 86° 49’ 12.3” Seed line on silver maple tree Fair White Ditch Left

Michiana 

Shores

602.90 41° 45’ 29.8” 86° 49’ 0.5” Mud line on cherry tree Fair White Ditch Left

Michiana 

Shores

602.82 41° 45’ 30.3” 86° 48’ 59.3” Seed line on silver maple tree Fair White Ditch Left

Michiana 

Shores

602.08 41° 45’ 30.6” 86° 48’ 58.5” Mud line on willow tree Fair White Ditch Left

Michiana 

Shores

603.19 41° 45’ 31.1” 86° 48’ 56.3” Mud line on willow tree Fair White Ditch Left

Michiana 

Shores

602.16 41° 45’ 31.8” 86° 48’ 52.0” Mud line on elm tree Poor White Ditch Right
Appendix 1. Site Descriptions and High-Water Marks at Study Sites, Flood of September 2008, Indiana. 15

[Vertical coordinate data are referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). Horizontal coordinate data are referenced to the North 

American Datum of 1983. Approximate quantitative indications of accuracy of high-water-mark ratings: Excellent, ± 0.02 foot; Good, ± 0.05 foot; Fair, ± 

0.10 foot; and Poor, > 0.10 foot (Lumia and others ,1986); for bank of nearest watercourse, “right” and “left” refer to an observation looking in the downstream direction of the watercourse. RM, reference mark]

Community 

name

Elevation 

(feet 

above 

NAVD 88)

Latitude Longitude High-water-mark description

Highwatermark 

rating

Nearest 

watercourse

Bank of 

nearest 

watercourse

Michiana 

Shores

601.94 41° 45’ 33.0” 86° 48’ 49.7” Drift line on mulberry tree Poor White Ditch Left

Michiana 

Shores

601.68 41° 45’ 33.3” 86° 48’ 48.9” Mud line on cherry tree Poor White Ditch Left

Michiana 

Shores

600.21 41° 45’ 36.3” 86° 48’ 38.5” Mud line on silver maple tree Fair White Ditch Right

Michiana 

Shores

600.24 41° 45’ 36.2” 86° 48’ 39.0” Mud line on elm tree Fair White Ditch Right

Munster 598.87 41° 34’ 15.7” 87° 30’ 31.6” Mud/Seed line on elm tree Good Little Calumet Left

Munster 598.57 41° 34’ 15.8” 87° 30’ 34.4” Mud/Seed line on utility pole Good Little Calumet Left

Munster 598.17 41° 34’ 29.9” 87° 31’ 10.3” Mud/Seed line on elm tree Good Little Calumet Left

Munster 597.82 41° 34’ 30.3” 87° 31’ 10.3” Mud/Seed line on ash tree Good Little Calumet Left

New 

Chicago

599.77 41° 33’ 56.0” 87° 14’ 36.6” Seed line on birch tree Good Deep River Right

New 

Chicago

599.80 41° 33’ 55.9” 87° 15’ 37.1” Mud line on boxelder tree Good Deep River Right

New 

Chicago

599.55 41° 33’ 55.5” 87° 15’ 38.7” Seed line on a boxelder tree Good Deep River Right

New 

Chicago

599.54 41° 33’ 55.5” 87° 15’ 38.7” Seed line on silver maple tree Good Deep River Right

New 

Chicago

599.18 41° 33’ 42.7” 87° 16’ 28.9” Mud line on birch tree Good Deep River Left

New 

Chicago

599.20 41° 33’ 43.8” 87° 16’ 28.2” Seed line on box elder Good Deep River Left

New 

Chicago

599.22 41° 33’ 43.1” 87° 16’ 30.4” Seed line on utility pole Good Deep River Left

New 

Chicago

599.16 41° 33’ 42.2” 87° 16’ 32.3” Seed line on box elder Good Deep River Left

New 

Chicago

598.46 41° 33’ 45.3” 87° 17’ 27.6” Seed line on sumac tree Good Deep River Left

New 

Chicago

598.21 41° 33’ 48.0” 87° 17’ 27.1” Seed line on silver maple tree Good Deep River Right

New 

Chicago

598.29 41° 33’ 48.8” 87° 17’ 28.5” Seed line on mulberry tree Good Deep River Right

Portage 626.93 41° 34’ 42.4” 87° 09’ 22.1” Seed line on hackberry tree Good Robbins Ditch Left

Portage 627.90 41° 34’ 42.7” 87° 09’ 31.9” Seed line on willow tree Good Robbins Ditch Left

Portage 628.13 41° 34’ 41.8” 87° 09’ 32.3” Seed line on cottonwood tree Good Robbins Ditch Left

Portage 629.47 41° 34’ 33.7” 87° 09’ 36.1” Seed line on cottonwood tree Good Robbins Ditch Right

Portage 629.51 41° 34’ 34.0” 87° 09’ 35.4” Mud line on tree Fair Robbins Ditch Right

Portage 630.83 41° 34’ 33.1” 87° 09’ 40.0” Seed line on maple tree Good Robbins Ditch Left

Portage 630.89 41° 34’ 32.5” 87° 09’ 41.1” Seed line on locust tree Good Robbins Ditch Left

Portage 639.72 41° 33’ 41.9” 87° 09’ 11.5” Seed line on cottonwood tree Good Robbins Ditch Right

Portage 639.55 41° 33’ 42.4” 87° 09’ 11.6” Seed line on hackberry tree Fair Robbins Ditch Right

Portage 640.04 41° 33’ 40.7” 87° 09’ 14.5” Seed line on tree Good Robbins Ditch Left

Schererville 627.86 41° 29’ 7.3” 87° 25’ 3.3” Mud line on willow tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Schererville 627.84 41° 29’ 59.3” 87° 25’ 3.6” Mud line on cottonwood tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Schererville 628.56 41° 29’ 56.0” 87° 25’ 4.1” Mud line on utilty pole Good Turkey Creek Right

Schererville 628.35 41° 29’ 56.1” 87° 25’ 5.8” Seed line on cottonwood tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Schererville 629.45 41° 29’ 52.6” 87° 25’ 38.3” Mud line on cottonwood tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Schererville 629.83 41° 29’ 52.4” 87° 25’ 38.6” Mud line on boxelder tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Schererville 630.69 41° 29’ 52.3” 87° 25’ 39.3” Mud line on boxelder tree Good Turkey Creek Right

Schererville 630.72 41° 29’ 51.9” 87° 25’ 39.9” Seed line on maple tree Good Turkey Creek Right
16 Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana

Appendix 2. Flood-Peak Inundation Maps for Selected Study Streams and 

Communities, Flood of September 2008, Indiana.

Appendix 2, which consists a series of maps showing approximate flood-peak inundation extents and depths, is available for 

downloading at 

http://pubs.usgs.gov/ofr/2010/1098/

Streams and areas mapped are the following:

•	 Deep River near Hobart, Indiana.

•	 Little Calumet River near Highland, Ind.

•	 Little Calumet River near Munster, Ind.

•	 Turkey Creek near Schererville, Ind.

•	 White Ditch at Michiana Shores, Ind.

Appendix 3. Flood-Peak Elevation Profiles for Selected Sites, Flood of September 

2008, Indiana

Water surfaces were estimated by linear interpolation between high-water marks. A linear interpolation between high-water 

marks is an approximation of the actual water surface; the actual water surface may have substantially departed from the water 

surface depicted in the profiles in some locations. For example, it is common for the water surface to drop between the upstream 

and downstream face of a bridge or culvert; potential water-surface elevation drops may not be reflected in the profiles. In some 

plots, a rise in the profile in the downstream direction can indicate a backwater condition caused by an obstruction. Water-surface elevations are referenced to the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88).
Appendix 3. Flood-Peak Elevation Profiles for Selected Sites, Flood of September 2008, Indiana 17

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Deep River near Hobart, Indiana.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

RIVER MILE

598

600

602

604

606

608

610

612

STREAM SURFACE ALTITUDE, IN FEET NAVD88

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Deep River near Hobart, Indiana.

Location of high-water mark

Direction of flow

Dekalb St.

Ripley St.

(US 6)

E. Rand St.

1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5

RIVER MILE

625

630

635

640

645

650

655

660

STREAM SURFACE ALTITUDE, IN FEET NAVD88

Location of high-water mark

Direction of flow

Steger Rd.

Joliet St.

(US 30)

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Dyer Ditch at Dyer, Indiana. Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Dyer Ditch at Dyer, Indiana.
18 Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Hart Ditch/Plum Creek near Dyer, 

Indiana.

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Little Calumet River near 

Highland, Indiana.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

RIVER MILE

600

604

608

612

616

620

624

628

632

636

STREAM SURFACE ALTITUDE, IN FEET NAVD88

Location of high-water mark

Direction of flow

Ridge Rd.

Main St.

Joliet St.

(US 30)

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Hart Ditch/Plum Creek near Dyer, Indiana.

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

RIVER MILE

596

597

598

599

600

601

602

STREAM SURFACE ALTITUDE, IN FEET NAVD88

Location of high-water mark

Direction of flow

Clark Rd.

S. Indianapolis Blvd.

(US 41)

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Little Calumet River near Highland, Indiana.

Interstate 65
Appendix 3. Flood-Peak Elevation Profiles for Selected Sites, Flood of September 2008, Indiana 19

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Little Calumet River near 

Munster, Indiana.

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Robbins Ditch near Portage, 

Indiana.

12 13 14 15 16 17

RIVER MILE

597

598

599

600

STREAM SURFACE ALTITUDE, IN FEET NAVD88

Location of high-water mark

Direction of flow

Calumet Ave.

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Little Calumet River near Munster, Indiana.

Interstate 80

1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5

RIVER MILE

626

628

630

632

634

636

638

640

642

STREAM SURFACE ALTITUDE, IN FEET NAVD88

Location of high-water mark

Direction of flow

Interstate 80

Robbins Rd.

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Robbins Ditch near Portage, Indiana.
20 Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Turkey Creek near Schererville, 

Indiana.

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for White Ditch at Michiana Shores, 

Indiana.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

RIVER MILE

614

616

618

620

622

624

626

628

630

632

STREAM SURFACE ALTITUDE, IN FEET NAVD88

Location of high-water mark

Direction of flow

E. 61st Ave.

Taft St.

(SR 55)

S. Colfax St.

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for Turkey Creek near Schererville, Indiana.

1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75

RIVER MILE

599

600

601

602

603

604

STREAM SURFACE ALTITUDE, IN FEET NAVD88

Location of high-water mark

Direction of flow

Michiana Dr.

Oak Dale Dr.

Flood-peak elevation profile, flood of September 2008, for White Ditch at Michiana Shores, Indiana.
Fowler and others—Flood of September 2008 in Northwestern Indiana—Open-File Report 2010–1098