Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Mcdougall Lake

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia16 haView mapDirections

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

Clarity
2.6 m
Typical for Nova Scotia
Secchi · sampled 1980
Max depth
12 m
Bathymetric survey
Area
16 ha
Surface area
  • 39 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Mcdougall Lake in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 m visibility. Maximum depth: 39.4 ft. Surface area: 40 acres.

Loading map…

Mcdougall Lake is a 40-acre lake in Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia with a maximum depth of 39 feet (10-foot average).

Source: Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change — not the EPA Water Quality Portal, last sampled 1980-08-13. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Mcdougall Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Deep water39.4 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

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

Whether Mcdougall 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.

Get alerts for Mcdougall Lake →

Water quality measurements for Mcdougall Lake

These are the measurements NSECC publishes for Mcdougall 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 8.5 ft. TSI 46.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)2.6mMeasured, not scored

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

Total phosphorusNo 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.46Mesotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Mcdougall Lake

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

Lake Details

Max depth

12 m

Average depth

3 m

Surface area

16 ha

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Mcdougall Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Mcdougall Lake in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.

Top-rated places to stay near Mcdougall Lake

Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Follow Mcdougall Lake’s readings

Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.


Or email

Fishing Mcdougall Lake

Nearby Lakes in Cape Breton

Frequently asked questions about Mcdougall Lake

Where is Mcdougall Lake?

Mcdougall 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 Mcdougall Lake?

Mcdougall Lake in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.6 m visibility. Maximum depth: 39.4 ft. Surface area: 40 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Mcdougall 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 Mcdougall Lake?

Mcdougall Lake has a maximum depth of 39.4 feet and an average depth of 9.8 feet. The lake covers 40 acres.

Where this data comes from

1 measurement from 1 monitoring station, 1980. Retrieved from Nova Scotia open data (not the EPA Water Quality Portal) on 2026-08-16.

Collected and reported by

  • Lands and ForestsLands and Forests1 sample · 1980
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
  • 985

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