West Branch Lake, Nova Scotia
West Branch Lake Geography
- Official Name: West Branch Lake
- Geographic Feature Type Category: Hydrographic Feature
- Geographic Feature Type: Lake
- Latitude / Longitude:45.36228, -62.652087
West Branch Lake Maps
- NTS Map Number: 011E07
- Other Maps
About West Branch Lake
West Branch Lake is a fresh water lake located between the Lorne and Trafalgar areas, east of the Stellarton Trafalgar Road. It is part of the West River system, which flows into Pictou Harbour. The name “West Branch” likely refers to its position as a tributary or branch of a larger river system, in this case, the West River.
The region is part of the larger Acadian Forest ecosystem, with a mix of red spruce, hemlock, and various hardwoods. The topography is a mix of level, sloped, and rocky terrain with glacial till as the parent material for the soil.
West Branch Lake is a well known fishing spot in Pictou county. It is part of a larger aquatic system that contains a variety of fresh water fish species, although the introduction of invasive species like chain pickerel has affected some of the native fish populations, including brook trout and yellow perch.
The lake is about 45.5 hectares in size, has a mean depth of 2 m, with its deepest part being just over 5 metres. It has an average hardness as CaCO3 (mg/L) of 3.55, and a PH of 6.7.
More details about the baseline water quality of this lake can be found by examining Nova Scotia’s Lake Chemistry data collected from the Nova Scotia Lake Survey Program and provided by the Government of Nova Scotia. The water quality data include nutrients, chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen, temperature, transparency, alkalinity, colour, major ions, selected metals, plus various fish habitat parameters. Temperature and dissolved oxygen profiles are when recorded are also included.
The lake inventory map for this lake is shown in the graphic below, and also available to download online (PDF).
[Source: Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables]
West Branch Lake, Lake Inventory Map
Freshwater lakes are typically inland bodies of water, typically formed from depressions in the earth’s surface. They are bounded by sills, and usually fed by streams, brooks, or rivers from the surrounding region. Lakes provide great places to swim, fish, canoe, and generally relax.
Pictou County is dominantly made up of rural areas and contains an abundant amount of fresh water lakes and streams found all across its geography.
Lake Inventory Maps
The Province of Nova Scotia maintains fresh water lake inventory data on over 1000 lakes in Nova Scotia. From that they generate lake inventory maps, that display basic depth contours. Some of the maps also contain data on water quality, fish species, recent stocking history and other information.
Nova Scotia Fisheries and Aquaculture provides paper copies of lake inventory maps to the public (by request), and some of those maps have been made into PDF digital versions that available to download. Click here for details on how to obtain paper copies.
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