Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site vs Big Cedar Lake-South Site-Near West Bend
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Cedar Lake-South Site-Near West Bend has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site (B, Good). Both are in Washington County, Wisconsin.
Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site and Big Cedar Lake-South Site-Near West Bend are both in Wisconsin — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The grades are close: Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site (B) and Big Cedar Lake-South Site-Near West Bend (A) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.7 ft.
Big Cedar Lake-South Site-Near West Bend
Good clarity, visible to about 12.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site | Big Cedar Lake-South Site-Near West Bend |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 8.7 ft | 12.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 20.4 µg/L | 14.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | 2.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 105 ft | 105 ft |
| Surface Area | 937 acres | 937 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 4 | 4 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Big Cedar Lake-South Site-Near West Bend wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site's Grade B. Water clarity: 12.6 ft vs 8.7 ft. For fishing diversity, Big Cedar Lake-South Site-Near West Bend also leads with 4 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.