Lake James and other lakes nearby were formed by glaciers approximately 10,000 years ago near the end of the Pleistocene era.
 Many northern Indiana lakes were formed as pieces of large glaciers broke off and became buried in the land as the main glaciers retreated north.
Eventually, these large pieces of ice melted and filled the depressions in the land they originally occupied, creating numerous lakes and marshes.

Lake James has a catchment area of 4,322 acres (1,749 ha).
 Its primary tributaries are Croxton Ditch, the Sowles Bay inlet, and the Whisper Bay inlet.
Croxton Ditch is the largest, and flows into the First Basin from the south side at a rate of 61.74 cubic feet per minute (1.748 m³/min).
The Sowles Bay and Whisper Bay inlets also flow into the Lower Basin, entering from the southeast and west sides, respectively.
The Whisper Bay inlet flows at 26.61 cubic feet per minute (0.754 m³/min), while the inlet at Sowles Bay flows at 4.17 cubic feet per minute (0.118 m³/min).
 The primary inflow for the Third Basin is a short channel from Snow Lake on the basin's north side.
 Water from the First and Third basins flows to the Second Basin, where it exits the lake on the west side through a short channel named Jimmerson Creek that enters Jimmerson Lake.
  The lake's mean hydraulic retention time is 312 days.
Lake James and other lakes nearby were formed by glaciers approximately 10,000 years ago near the end of the Pleistocene era.  Many northern Indiana lakes were formed as pieces of large glaciers broke off and became buried in the land as the main glaciers retreated north. Eventually, these large pieces of ice melted and filled the depressions in the land they originally occupied, creating numerous lakes and marshes.
Lake James has a catchment area of 4,322 acres (1,749 ha).  Its primary tributaries are Croxton Ditch, the Sowles Bay inlet, and the Whisper Bay inlet. Croxton Ditch is the largest, and flows into the First Basin from the south side at a rate of 61.74 cubic feet per minute (1.748 m³/min). The Sowles Bay and Whisper Bay inlets also flow into the Lower Basin, entering from the southeast and west sides, respectively. The Whisper Bay inlet flows at 26.61 cubic feet per minute (0.754 m³/min), while the inlet at Sowles Bay flows at 4.17 cubic feet per minute (0.118 m³/min).  The primary inflow for the Third Basin is a short channel from Snow Lake on the basin's north side.  Water from the First and Third basins flows to the Second Basin, where it exits the lake on the west side through a short channel named Jimmerson Creek that enters Jimmerson Lake.   The lake's mean hydraulic retention time is 312 days.
Lake James (Indiana)