Springfield Lake

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Springfield Lake is a small lake located in Middle Sackville, Nova Scotia.

The shoreline measures 5.6 km in length with the average depth being 3 m and the maximum depth 5 m. Springfield Lake is a headwater lake fed by underground springs and runoff. Located in the Schubenacadie watershed, its waters eventually reach the Bay of Fundy. The lake lies on pyretic slate bedrock that is high in hydrogen and sulphur. The shoreline is fully developed with over 530 houses in the watershed of 5 square kilometres. Homes adjacent to the lake receive municipal sewage treatment. There is a HRM Water Pollution Control Plant (secondary activated sludge), constructed in 1987, that discharges effluent into a stream outflowing at the north-east end of the lake that flows into Lisle Lake. There are 12 sewage-lift stations around the lake, several of which can discharge directly into the lake in times of high rainfall. There is a public beach at the north end of the Lake that was closed periodically in the summer of 2004 for Escherichia coli contamination.

As of 2004, temporal comparisons show that Springfield Lake has become increasingly eutrophic over the last 3 decades as shown by decreases in dissolved oxygen in the lower 1 to 3 m of the water column, and increases in [[chlorophyll-a]] and calcium ion. Nitrate and ammonium ion concentrations and phosphorus were all high in 2004 relative to previouse 30 years. Neither Secchi disk depth nor turbidity appear to have changed over the last 3 decades and the Lake is now less acidic than in 1977. The benthic macroinvertebrate community in 1996 indicated the lake had poor to very poor water quality with probable moderate pollution. The same indication of water quality was observed in 2004 infering moderate to severe pollution. The long-term trend in Springfield Lake appears to be one of increasing eutrophication that is likely related to urban development, uncontrolled watershed run-off and erosion and the use of lawn fertilizer. Springfield Lake is a headwater lake and therefore provides a unique opportunity for management and without proper and immediate management Springfield Lake could very likely become eutrophic.