Hardy Lake, originally named Quick Creek Reservoir, is an

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

state

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

in Scott and

Jefferson Jefferson may refer to: Names * Jefferson (surname) * Jefferson (given name) People * Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third president of the United States * Jefferson (footballer, born 1970), full name Jefferson Tomaz de Souza, Brazilian foo ...

counties, Indiana. It is located four miles (6 km) east of

Austin, Indiana Austin is a city in Jennings Township, Scott County, Indiana, Jennings Township, Scott County, Indiana, Scott County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 4,272 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town; Austin became a city on ...

and north of

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. It is the smallest reservoir maintained by the state of Indiana, measuring of total property, and of surface area for the lake. The lake is approximately deep. Hardy Lake is surrounded by other state and federal properties. Fifteen miles to the north is the

Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge The Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge is a National Wildlife Refuge located east of Seymour, Indiana, on U.S. Route 50. Established in 1966, it comprises in its main area of eastern Jackson and western Jennings counties, and an additional ...

, 12 miles to the northeast is Crosley Fish and Wildlife Area; 15 miles to the east is

Clifty Falls State Park Clifty Falls State Park is an Indiana state park on in Jefferson County, Indiana in the United States. It is northeast of Louisville, Kentucky. The park attracts about 370,000 visitors annually. On October 27, 1920, citizens of Madison, Ind ...

; 20 miles to the south is Clark State Forest; and 20 miles to the west is Starve Hollow S.R.A.

Creation

The reservoir was constructed in 1970 by damming Quick's Creek. The state hoped the reservoir would provide a stable source of water for nearby communities in Scott County. The lake's water elevation does remain at a stable level, unlike the water elevations of most reservoirs. The dam that creates the reservoir is an earth filled dam, high and wide, downstream of of drainage area. The reservoir is now used as a back-up source of water for the Stucker Fork Conservancy District, whose primary source of water is the East Fork of the

Muscatatuck River The Muscatatuck River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed May 19, 2011 river in south-central Indiana, United States. It is a major tributary of the East Fork of the Whit ...

. When Hardy Lake was completed, Indiana governor Otis R. Bowen hailed it as part of his goal of having a park controlled by the state of Indiana within driving distance of every

Hoosier Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate, but "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 poem "T ...

. Hardy Lake is part of a statewide system of reservoirs created during the 1960s and 1970s by the state of Indiana and the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

.Hardy Lake Pamphlet

Other uses

Other features of the park include the McClain Cemetery, which dates back to the 18th century, a mound of

Allegheny mound ant The Allegheny mound ant (''Formica exsectoides'') is a species of ant native to the Atlantic area of North America. Its range extends from Nova Scotia to parts of Georgia. Like other field ants, the Allegheny mound ant builds large mounds, howev ...

foxfire Foxfire, also called fairy fire and chimpanzee fire, is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi present in decaying wood. The bluish-green glow is attributed to a luciferase, an oxidative enzyme, which emits light as it reacts with ...

, and a trail exclusively designed to test one's

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

skills. Seasonal fishing and hunting are permitted within the park. The park contains a large population of fish including

bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

, black

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxis'' ...

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

redear sunfish The redear sunfish (''Lepomis microlophus''), also known as the shellcracker, Georgia bream, cherry gill, chinquapin, improved bream, rouge ear sunfish and sun perch) is a freshwater fish in the family Centrarchidae and is native to the southeast ...

, and

tiger muskie The tiger muskellunge (''Esox masquinongy × lucius'' or ''Esox lucius × masquinongy''), commonly called tiger muskie, is a carnivorous fish, and is the usually-sterile, hybrid offspring of the true muskellunge (''Esox masquinongy'') and the no ...

. Animals available to hunt not only include the typical

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

and

turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, but also

quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New Wor ...

snipe A snipe is any of about 26 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill, eyes placed high on the head, and cryptic/camouflaging plumage. The ''Gallinago'' snipes have a near ...

, and

woodchuck The groundhog (''Marmota monax''), also known as a woodchuck, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. The groundhog is a lowland creature of North America; it is found through mu ...

. The lake is open to boating and fishing and has four public access ramps. The park is also home several species of birds including the

red-necked grebe The red-necked grebe (''Podiceps grisegena'') is a migratory aquatic bird found in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Its wintering habitat is largely restricted to calm waters just beyond the waves around ocean coasts, although ...

mute swan The mute swan (''Cygnus olor'') is a species of swan and a member of the waterfowl family Anatidae. It is native to much of Eurosiberia, and (as a rare winter visitor) the far north of Africa. It is an introduced species in North America, home ...

snow goose The snow goose (''Anser caerulescens'') is a species of goose native to North America. Both white and dark morphs exist, the latter often known as blue goose. Its name derives from the typically white plumage. The species was previously placed ...

, and

black vulture The black vulture (''Coragyps atratus''), also known as the American black vulture, Mexican vulture, zopilote, urubu, or gallinazo, is a bird in the New World vulture family whose range extends from the northeastern United States to Peru, Cen ...

Red-shouldered hawk The red-shouldered hawk (''Buteo lineatus'') is a medium-sized buteo. Its breeding range spans eastern North America and along the coast of California and northern to northeastern-central Mexico. It is a permanent resident throughout most of its ...

s are particularly noteworthy and nest around the lake in early spring through mid-summer. The state's Division of Parks and Reservoirs maintains both primitive and modern camping sites in the park surrounding the lake. The park also includes a public swimming beach, bathhouses, and hiking trails making it a popular camping location. The Hardy Lake Sweep occurs annually at the lake when members of 4-H, the

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

and the

Girl Scouts of the USA Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA), commonly referred to as simply Girl Scouts, is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. Founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912, it was organized a ...

camp in the park for a weekend of work to clear the park's roads and shoreline of any litter.

References

{{authority control Protected areas of Jefferson County, Indiana Protected areas of Indiana Protected areas of Scott County, Indiana Reservoirs in Indiana Dams in Indiana United States state-owned dams Bodies of water of Jefferson County, Indiana Bodies of water of Scott County, Indiana