McKay Lake (Ottawa)

McKay Lake
McKay Lake
Location	Eastern Ontario
Coordinates	45°27′06″N 75°40′10″W / 45.45167°N 75.66944°W / 45.45167; -75.66944
Primary inflows	Sand Pits Lake (The Pond)
Primary outflows	Ottawa River
Catchment area	140 hectares (350 acres)[1]
Basin countries	Canada
Max. length	451 m (1,480 ft)
Max. width	320 m (1,050 ft)
Surface elevation	46 m (151 ft)
Settlements	Ottawa

McKay Lake^[2] (formerly Hemlock Lake,^[3] McKay's Lake, or MacKay Lake) is a meromictic lake located in the former Village of Rockcliffe Park in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

The lake is named for Thomas McKay, one of the founders of Ottawa, who once owned all of Rockcliffe Park in the 19th century, including the lake.^[3] The lake was officially named McKay Lake in 1954 after Rockcliffe Park Village Council passed a by-law. Prior to that the lake often appeared on maps as "Hemlock Lake", but locals referred to it as McKay Lake.^[4]

The lake was once a swimming hole. Today, the west side of the lake is privately owned^[5] and lined with mansions and a public path known as the "Dog Walk" (a closed portion of Lansdowne Road), while the east side of the lake is owned by the City of Ottawa^[5] and is home to the Caldwell-Carver Conservation Area.^[3] Today, public swimming is banned in the lake due to its "oozy/squishy/mushy" bottom.^[5] The lake is drained by an intermittent stream that travels north into the Ottawa River. Its watershed includes the nearby Beechwood Cemetery and the next-door Sand Pits Lake, better known as "The Pond". The lake is fed by an intermittent stream that flows into the lake from the southeast.^[1]