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LakeQuality

William Lake

Halifax, Nova Scotia339 haView mapDirections

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

Clarity
4.9 m
Clearer than most
Secchi · sampled 2007
Phosphorus
5 µg/L
Typical for Nova Scotia
Measured by NSECC
Chlorophyll-a
0.7 µg/L
Less algae than most
Measured by NSECC
Max depth
28 m
Bathymetric survey
Area
339 ha
Surface area
  • 92 ft max depth
  • Limited data

William Lake in Halifax, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 m visibility. Phosphorus: 5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 91.9 ft. Surface area: 837.7 acres.

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William Lake is a 838-acre lake in Halifax County, Nova Scotia with a maximum depth of 92 feet (38-foot average).

Source: Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change — not the EPA Water Quality Portal, last sampled 2007-10-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What William Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water16.1 ft of visibility
  • Deep water91.9 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 William 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 William Lake

These are the measurements NSECC publishes for William 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 16.1 ft down. Phosphorus 5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 0.7 µg/L. TSI 31.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)4.9mMeasured, not scored

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

Total phosphorus5µg/LMeasured, not scored

The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential.

Chlorophyll-a (algae)0.7µg/LMeasured, 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.31Oligotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

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

Ask about William Lake

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

Lake Details

Max depth

28 m

Average depth

11.5 m

Surface area

339 ha

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Fishing William Lake

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Frequently asked questions about William Lake

Where is William Lake?

William 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 William Lake?

William Lake in Halifax, Nova Scotia has water-quality measurements published by NSECC, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.9 m visibility. Phosphorus: 5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 0.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 91.9 ft. Surface area: 837.7 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is William 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 William Lake?

William Lake has a maximum depth of 91.9 feet and an average depth of 37.7 feet. The lake covers 837.7 acres.

Oligotrophic Lakes in Nova Scotia

Where this data comes from

6 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 1971–2007. Retrieved from Nova Scotia open data (not the EPA Water Quality Portal) on 2026-08-16.

Collected and reported by

  • NSDFANSDFA1 sample · 2007
  • DOEDOE1 sample · 1983
  • Environment Canada- Shubenacadie Headwaters EnviroEnvironment Canada- Shubenacadie Headwaters Enviro1 sample · 1974
  • Submitting organization not recorded for these samples1 sample · 1971

Some records reached the portal without a submitting organization. Those samples are counted above but not attributed.

Monitoring station identifiers (1)
  • 853

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