Bear Lake is a lake in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Its water-quality measurements are published by NSECC and shown on this page as reported.

How deep is Bear Lake?

Bear Lake has a maximum depth of 27.6 feet and an average depth of 9.2 feet. The lake covers 45 acres.

Bear Lake

Halifax, Nova Scotia18 haView map Directions

NSECC publishes the water-quality measurements for Bear Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity

3.5 m

Typical for Nova Scotia

Secchi · sampled 1983

Max depth

8.4 m

Bathymetric survey

Area

18 ha

Surface area

28 ft max depth
Limited data

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Bear Lake in Halifax, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 m visibility. Maximum depth: 27.6 ft. Surface area: 45 acres.

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Bear Lake is a 45-acre lake in Halifax County, Nova Scotia with a maximum depth of 28 feet (9-foot average).

Source: Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change — not the EPA Water Quality Portal, last sampled 1983-10-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Bear Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Clear water11.4 ft of visibility

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Bear Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.

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Water quality measurements for Bear Lake

These are the measurements NSECC publishes for Bear Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Good clarity, visible to about 11.4 ft. TSI 42.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	3.47m	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus		No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential.
Chlorophyll-a (algae)		No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water.
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.	42	Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Bear Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Max depth

8.4 m

Average depth

2.8 m

Surface area

18 ha

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Fishing Bear Lake

→ Bear Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

Nearby Lakes in Halifax

Salmon River Big Lake1 m clear2.3 miView →Nowlin Lake4.9 m clear3 miView →Fourth Lake1.7 m clear4.3 miView →Quoddy Lake0.9 m clear3.2 miView →Kelly Lake5 m clear4.1 miView →Paul Morris Lake3.1 m clear5.1 miView →

Frequently asked questions about Bear Lake

Where is Bear Lake?: Bear Lake is a lake in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Its water-quality measurements are published by NSECC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bear Lake?: Bear Lake in Halifax, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 3.5 m visibility. Maximum depth: 27.6 ft. Surface area: 45 acres.
Is Bear Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bear Lake?: Bear Lake has a maximum depth of 27.6 feet and an average depth of 9.2 feet. The lake covers 45 acres.