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LakeQuality

Heron Lake

Digby, Nova Scotia9 haView mapDirections

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

Clarity
2.5 m
Typical for Nova Scotia
Secchi · sampled 1982
Phosphorus
4 µg/L
Typical for Nova Scotia
Measured by NSECC
Max depth
5 m
Bathymetric survey
Area
9 ha
Surface area
  • 16 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Heron Lake in Digby, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 m visibility. Phosphorus: 4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 16.4 ft. Surface area: 21.3 acres.

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Heron Lake is a 21-acre lake in Digby County, Nova Scotia with a maximum depth of 16 feet (5-foot average).

Source: Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change — not the EPA Water Quality Portal, last sampled 1982-08-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

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

Whether Heron 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 Heron Lake

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

Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.2 ft. Phosphorus 4 µg/L. TSI 35.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)2.5mMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus4µg/LMeasured, not scored

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.35Oligotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.

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

Lake Details

Max depth

5 m

Average depth

1.6 m

Surface area

9 ha

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Frequently asked questions about Heron Lake

Where is Heron Lake?

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

What is the water quality of Heron Lake?

Heron Lake in Digby, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.5 m visibility. Phosphorus: 4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 16.4 ft. Surface area: 21.3 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Heron Lake safe to swim in?

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

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Heron Lake?

Heron Lake has a maximum depth of 16.4 feet and an average depth of 5.2 feet. The lake covers 21.3 acres.

Oligotrophic Lakes in Nova Scotia

Where this data comes from

2 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 1982. Retrieved from Nova Scotia open data (not the EPA Water Quality Portal) on 2026-08-16.

Collected and reported by

  • NS Dept. of FisheriesNS Dept. of Fisheries1 sample · 1995
  • Lands and Forests, NSDOELands and Forests, NSDOE1 sample · 1982
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
  • 107

Canadian lakes are published with the measurements their provincial programme reports. See where the data comes from and data sources.