Penhorn Beach

Managed by Re-imagining Atlantic Harbours in 2050

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Penhorn Lake is a quaint locale suitable for relaxing and or staying active. Slightly off of the beaten path, Penhorn Lake can be found in Dartmouth. By traveling alongside the Highway of Heroes on Lake Banook Trail, Alderney School (on Penhorn Drive) should be used as a notable marker. From there, Penhorn Lake is only a few minutes away down the road. Public transportation is an available and reliable option. There is also available parking on the site.

Penhorn Lake is spacious, making it ideal for the active swimmer; it also has a wide circumference for those who want to walk/run and just enjoy the view of the lake. There are several benches conveniently placed along the edge of the lake for those who want to relax while keeping a watchful eye on the lake. From July 1 to August 31, there are also lifeguards supervising the lake from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on fair weather days only.

*** Want to get in touch? The Report Pollution tool is a way for you to let us know how the water is doing. You can also send us a photo! We cannot wait to hear from you! ***

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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

Met water quality standards less than 60% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on September 5th, 2022. 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, 2022 at 11:14 AM.

For water quality icon legend, click:

Current Weather

24°C

Mostly clear

Report Pollution

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