Where is Southwest Lake?

Southwest 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 Southwest Lake?

Southwest Lake has a maximum depth of 52.5 feet and an average depth of 18.7 feet. The lake covers 501.9 acres.

Southwest Lake

Halifax, Nova Scotia203 haView map Directions

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

Clarity

4.5 m

Clearer than most

Secchi · sampled 1975

Max depth

16 m

Bathymetric survey

Area

203 ha

Surface area

53 ft max depth
Limited data

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Southwest Lake in Halifax, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 m visibility. Maximum depth: 52.5 ft. Surface area: 501.9 acres.

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Southwest Lake is a 502-acre lake in Halifax County, Nova Scotia with a maximum depth of 53 feet (19-foot average).

Source: Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change — not the EPA Water Quality Portal, last sampled 1975-08-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Southwest Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Clear water14.8 ft of visibility
Deep water52.5 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 Southwest 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 Southwest Lake

These are the measurements NSECC publishes for Southwest 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 14.8 ft. TSI 38.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	4.5m	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.	38	Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

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

Ask about Southwest Lake

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

Lake Details

Max depth

16 m

Average depth

5.7 m

Surface area

203 ha

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Stays near Southwest Lake

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Fishing Southwest Lake

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

Nearby Lakes in Halifax

Alma Lake3 m clear1.6 miView →River Lake1.8 m clear3.5 miView →Ferry Lake3.6 m clear2.8 miView →Taylor Bay Grand Lake5.7 m clear3.9 miView →Jacket Lake4.9 miView →Fifth Lake5.6 miView →

Frequently asked questions about Southwest Lake

Where is Southwest Lake?: Southwest 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 Southwest Lake?: Southwest Lake in Halifax, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.5 m visibility. Maximum depth: 52.5 ft. Surface area: 501.9 acres.
Is Southwest Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Southwest Lake?: Southwest Lake has a maximum depth of 52.5 feet and an average depth of 18.7 feet. The lake covers 501.9 acres.