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Map of Columbia Lake

Columbia Lake

43.4735° N, 80.5563° W

Shoreline and neighbouring water from open government data.

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Columbia Lake, Ontario. 43.4735° N, 80.5563° W

Not for navigation. Depths are from government surveys and may be outdated.

borealbound.ca/lakes/on/columbia-lake/, compiled October 9, 2026

  • Canadian Geographical Names Database, Natural Resources Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.
  • HydroLAKES v1.0, Messager et al. 2016 / WWF HydroSHEDS. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
  • Census boundaries and population, 2021, Statistics Canada. Adapted from Statistics Canada. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada.
  • Aquatic Resource Area survey points, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  • Fisheries Management Zones, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  • City page weather forecasts and alerts, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Contains data from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC Data Servers End-use Licence).
  • Air Quality Health Index observations and forecasts, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Contains data from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC Data Servers End-use Licence).
  • Guide to Eating Ontario Fish: Advisory Database, Ontario Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  • Photographs, Wikimedia Commons contributors. Each photo carries its own licence (CC0, public domain, CC BY or CC BY-SA), credited where shown.

Columbia Lake covers 0.15 km², making it smaller than 88% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario. It lies 1.2 km southwest of Waterloo.

Government surveys have recorded 16 fish species here, including pumpkinseed, smallmouth bass and rock bass.

Area
0.15 km²
smaller than 88% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
Shoreline
2 km
shorter than 91% of the 18,731 lakes in Ontario
Fish species
16
more than 94% of the 2,454 surveyed lakes in Ontario
Elevation
334 m

Today on the water

5.3 °C

ClearWind calm

Observed at Kitchener-Waterloo, as of 3:00 a.m. EDT

calm Estimated waves, next 12 hours: up to 0.1 m. Around 4 a.m., wind from the west: the west shore is sheltered, waves build toward the east shore.

Time4 a.m.7 a.m.10 a.m.1 p.m.4 p.m.7 p.m.10 p.m.1 a.m.
Wind km/hW 15W 15W 15NW 30NW 30NW 10var. 5var. 5
Gusts km/h5050
Waves (est.) m0.10.10.10.10.1
Temp. °C461116181386
Precip. %2020202020000

Tonight: Partly cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers this evening. Becoming clear overnight. Wind northwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light this evening. Low plus 4.

Weather: Kitchener-Waterloo (local forecast), as of 3:02 a.m. EDT

Sun and moon

Civil dawn
7:00 a.m.
Sunrise
7:29 a.m.
Sunset
6:49 p.m.
Civil dusk
7:17 p.m.
Moonrise
6:22 a.m.
Moonset
6:07 p.m.
Moon
Waning crescent, 1% lit

Air Quality Health Index

1 low risk

Kitchener, as of 3:00 a.m. EDT

Data Source: Environment and Climate Change Canada. Local times.

How waves are estimated

Significant wave height from the forecast hourly wind and the open-water distance (fetch) upwind, using the SMB method (US Army Corps of Engineers Shore Protection Manual, 1984), rounded up to the next 0.1 m. It is not a measurement: gusts, leftover swell and shoals can make water rougher. Under 0.2 m: calm; 0.2–0.5 m: choppy; over 0.5 m: rough.

Fish

Sport fish by the share of the 7 government surveys (1981–2005) that recorded them.

  • Pumpkinseed3 of 7
  • Smallmouth Bass3 of 7
  • Rock Bass2 of 7Not recorded since 1994
  • Yellow Perch2 of 7
  • Largemouth Bass1 of 7
Forage fish and other species (11)

Forage fish

  • Bluntnose Minnow 3
  • Brassy Minnow 3
  • Iowa Darter 3
  • Brook Stickleback 2
  • Common Shiner 2
  • Creek Chub 2
  • Blacknose Dace 1
  • Fathead Minnow 1

Other

  • Common Carp 4
  • Brown Bullhead 3
  • White Sucker 3

Numbers are the surveys that recorded each species.

Eating your catch

The provincial guide to eating fish (2026) sets limits for 1 species from Columbia Lake. Maximum meals per month:

SpeciesLengthGeneral populationSensitive population*Contaminant
Common Carp55-60 cm1616Precautionary

* As defined in the guide, including children and people who are or may become pregnant. Limits are for the length the guide lists most often; they change with the size of the fish. Read the official guide

Fishing regulations: Fisheries Management Zone 16. Check seasons and limits before you fish.

Photos

Clouds above Columbia Lake - Waterloo, Ontario 2019-10-11
Photo: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Columbia Lake (577212769)
Photo: Ken Dyck from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Columbia Lake - Waterloo, Ontario 2019-10-11 (02)
Photo: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons