Where is Macdonald Lake?

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

How deep is Macdonald Lake?

Macdonald Lake has a maximum depth of 19.7 feet and an average depth of 10.2 feet. The lake covers 51.9 acres.

Macdonald Lake

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia21 haView map Directions

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

Clarity

5 m

Clearer than most

Secchi · sampled 1980

Max depth

6 m

Bathymetric survey

Area

21 ha

Surface area

20 ft max depth
Limited data

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Macdonald Lake in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 m visibility. Maximum depth: 19.7 ft. Surface area: 51.9 acres.

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Macdonald Lake is a 52-acre lake in Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia with a maximum depth of 20 feet (10-foot average).

Source: Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change — not the EPA Water Quality Portal, last sampled 1980-08-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Macdonald Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Clear water16.4 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 Macdonald 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 Macdonald Lake

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

Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down. TSI 37.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	5m	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.	37	Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

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

Ask about Macdonald Lake

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

Lake Details

Max depth

6 m

Average depth

3.1 m

Surface area

21 ha

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Fishing Macdonald Lake

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

Nearby Lakes in Cape Breton

Catalone Lake2.9 m clear2.9 miView →Grand Lake2.9 m clear4.4 miView →Cochran Lake0.1 m clear6.7 miView →Belle Lake2 m clear5.4 miView →Dumaresq Lake2.2 m clear7.4 miView →Cranberry Lake0.1 m clear7.6 miView →

Frequently asked questions about Macdonald Lake

Where is Macdonald Lake?: Macdonald Lake is a lake in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Its water-quality measurements are published by NSECC and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Macdonald Lake?: Macdonald Lake in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 5 m visibility. Maximum depth: 19.7 ft. Surface area: 51.9 acres.
Is Macdonald Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Macdonald Lake?: Macdonald Lake has a maximum depth of 19.7 feet and an average depth of 10.2 feet. The lake covers 51.9 acres.