Most of the water for the Fraser's Mills Hatchery comes from the nearby South River. A reservoir holding 4 billion litres of water is located 12 Km upstream from the hatchery at South River Lake, and provides 11,000 litres of water per minute. This is augmented by a drilled well which contributes an additional 450 litres of ground water per minute. The ground water remains at a constant temperature of 6 C and is used to cool incoming water in the summer months and to warm it in the winter. The visitor interpretation centre, located in the hatchery building, provides an opportunity to learn more about the hatchery and other aspects of recreational angling in Nova Scotia.
Visitors can view photographs, posters, artifacts and displays on a variety of subjects.
The McGowan Lake Hatchery came online in the fall of 1987. It's construction has helped to ensure the future of trout fishing in western Nova Scotia, a region with many acid- stressed lakes and streams. Fish are reared from eggs taken at Fraser's Mills Hatchery and released as fall fingerlings or yearlings. About 1 million fish are raised yearly at this site. In 1993 this system was installed in order to increase the amount of oxygen in the hatchery water supply.