The lake is located 160 km southeast of the city of Edmonton.

The lake is contains high levels of sulphate, sodium and bicarbonate/carbonate concentrations which, are produced by saline groundwater in the region.

In winter, the temperature of water under the ice drops to 0 °C, extremely low, even for Alberta lakes.

Although the lake contains high mineral levels, plant growth is sparse.

A few planktonic invertebrates are exceptionally abundant, but there are fewer species than in freshwater lakes.