Portuguese Cove Lake
Halifax, Nova Scotia18 haView mapDirections
NSECC publishes the water-quality measurements for Portuguese Cove Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 16 ft max depth
- Limited data
Portuguese Cove Lake in Halifax, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 m visibility. Phosphorus: 14.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 16.4 ft. Surface area: 44 acres.
Portuguese Cove Lake is a 44-acre lake in Halifax County, Nova Scotia with a maximum depth of 16 feet (8-foot average).
Source: Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change — not the EPA Water Quality Portal, last sampled 1990-07-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Portuguese Cove 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.
Water quality measurements for Portuguese Cove Lake
These are the measurements NSECC publishes for Portuguese Cove 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 6.7 ft. Phosphorus 14.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.4 µg/L. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.05m | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14.3µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.4µg/L | Measured, not scored 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
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Lake Details
Max depth
5 m
Average depth
2.3 m
Surface area
18 ha
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Frequently asked questions about Portuguese Cove Lake
Where is Portuguese Cove Lake?
- Portuguese Cove 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 Portuguese Cove Lake?
- Portuguese Cove Lake in Halifax, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 m visibility. Phosphorus: 14.3 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 16.4 ft. Surface area: 44 acres.
Is Portuguese Cove Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Portuguese Cove Lake?
- Portuguese Cove Lake has a maximum depth of 16.4 feet and an average depth of 7.5 feet. The lake covers 44 acres.
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 1979–1990. Retrieved from Nova Scotia open data (not the EPA Water Quality Portal) on 2026-08-16.
Collected and reported by
- Soil and Water Conservation Society of Metro
Soil and Water Conservation Society of Metro3 samples · 1990 - Lands and Forests
Lands and Forests1 sample · 1979
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
891
Canadian lakes are published with the measurements their provincial programme reports. See where the data comes from and data sources.