Chocolate Lake Beach

Managed by Re-imagining Atlantic Harbours in 2050

#LoveYourLake Halifax needs your help! Great shoreline project : looking for volunteers

Chocolate Lake is a highly sought-after beach; especially during the summer months of the year. To get to Chocolate Lake from the peninsula, you must go to the Armdale Rotary, take a left on to Herring Cove Road and then take the next right (on to Melwood Avenue) after passing the tennis court. Public transportation is an available and reliable option. There is also available parking on site.

Chocolate Lake is surrounded by trees which provide a wealth of shade. While the beach itself is minimal, the man-made lake is large enough to welcome all comers. Chocolate Lake offers showers and changing rooms beginning in late May to September 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. There are active lifeguards on duty beginning on July 1 to August 31 from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m on fair weather days only. Aside from the lake itself, there is a tennis court and a basketball court available for public use.

Fun Fact: Chocolate Lake got its name because it was made on the site of an old chocolate factory.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.

Water Quality

Passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 5th, 2021. Re-imagining Atlantic Harbours in 2050 updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on September 5th, 2021 at 1:23 PM.

For water quality icon legend, click:

Current Weather

16°C

Cloudy with a few clear breaks

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Halifax Regional Municipality staff monitor Halifax beaches and collects samples at designated beaches weekly from July 1st to August 31st. All designated beaches are tested for E. coli and some saltwater beaches are tested for Enterococci. When bacteria counts exceed the provincial standard, the beach is considered to be unsafe for swimming and warning signs are posted at the beach. When bacteria counts exceed the provincial standard, the municipality also publishes Public Service Announcements on its website and announces the beach closure through social media channels.

Swim Guide checks the Halifax Regional Municipality website daily for updates during the swimming season.

A beach is marked Green when when the geometric mean of 5 samples collected within a 30-day period is below 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water.

A beach is marked Red when the geometric mean of 5 samples collected within a 30-day period exceeds 200 E. coli / 100 ml of water or when a single sample exceeds 400 E. coli / 100 ml of water. Officials will also close a beach if the Enterococci level reaches 70 counts per 100 ml of water.

Beaches may be retested when counts exceed 200 E.Coli per 100 ml of water. When counts exceed 35 Enterococci per 100 ml beaches are retested every 24-48 hours until levels drop below the accepted levels and closure is considered.

A beach is marked Grey when reliable or up-to-date information is not available.

Water Quality Graph