Barbee Lake

Barbee Lake is a fresh water lake located in Warsaw, Indiana, United States.

Barbee Lake
Barbee Lake Barbee Lake
Map of the Barbee chain of lakes
Location	Warsaw, Kosciusko County, Indiana
Coordinates	41°17′06″N 85°42′12″W
Primary inflows	Grassy Creek
Primary outflows	into Tippecanoe Lake
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	855 acres (346 ha)
Average depth	16 ft (4.9 m)
Max. depth	65 ft (20 m)
Water volume	4,749 acre⋅ft (5,858,000 m3)
Surface elevation	840 ft (260 m)
Islands	0
Settlements	0

The Barbee chain of lakes was formed by retreating glaciers during the Pleistocene era as were most of northeast Indiana's lakes.

Location

The greater Barbee lakes are located just west of Indiana State Road 13, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) south-southeast of Tippecanoe Lake and 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Webster Lake.

The lake chain

Barbee Lake is composed of seven interconnected and natural lakes (Barbee Lakes chain):

• Barbee Lake 304 acres (123 ha)
• Little Barbee Lake 74 acres (30 ha)
• Kuhn Lake 137 acres (55 ha)
• Irish Lake 182 acres (74 ha)
• Sawmill Lake 36 acres (15 ha)
• Sechrist Lake 105 acres (42 ha)
• Banning Lake 17 acres (6.9 ha)

Inflow and outflow

Inflow via Grassy Creek feeds Barbee (Big Barbee), Little Barbee, Irish, and Sawmill. Shoe Lake flows into Banning Lake while Heron Lake flows into Kuhn Lake. Banning and Kuhn Lakes have the best water quality in the chain because their small watersheds contribute fewer nutrients. Water leaving the Barbee chain heads north and feeds Tippecanoe Lake. Some 75% of the watershed is agricultural.

Residential

The chain of Barbee lakes has approximately 2,300 residences spread throughout the lakes with the highest concentration near Barbee's north end, Sechrist, and Little Barbee Lake.

Recreation

All of the lakes support bluegill, largemouth bass, yellow perch, catfish, and crappie. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources maintains a boat ramp on Kuhn Lake's north side. Access to Tippecanoe is possible for boats 16 feet (4.9 m) and shorter in length through a manually operated lock.

References

• Lake Lubbbers: Barbee
• http://www.barbeelakes.org