Sedimentation in Versailles Lake, Ripley County, southeastern Indiana, 1956-88

Sedimentation has affected the storage capacity and surface area of Versailles Lake. The lake was constructed by damming Laughery Creek in 1956. At the dam, the drainage area of Laughery Creek is 168 square miles. Locations where the largest amount of sediment has accumulated for the 32-year period 1956-88, are in the upper end of the lake where Laughery Creek enters and in the middle part of the lake; however, sediment has also accumulated in the rest of the lake. The surface area of the lake for 1956 was 10,400,000 square feet (239 acres) and for 1988 was 9,700,000 square feet (223 acres).

In 1956, the volume of water in Versailles Lake was 115,000,000 cubic feet; in 1988, the volume was 73,400,000 cubic feet. The amount of sediment accumulation in the lake during 1956-88 was 41,600,000 cubic feet. In 1988, the volume of water remaining in the lake was 63.8 percent of the 1956 volume; 36.2 percent of the 1956 lake volume had filled with sediment. The annual rate of sediment accumulation in the lake during 1956-88 was 1,300,000 cubic feet per year.

Potential decreases in the storage capacity of Versailles Lake for the 32-year period 1989-2020 were estimated. The percentage volume of water in the lake in 2020 is expected to be 28 percent of the 1956 volume; 72 percent of the lake is expected to be filled with sediment.

Physiographic data indicate no distinct source areas in the drainage basin of Laughery Creek that are contributing unusually large amounts of sediment to Versailles Lake.