Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site vs Big Cedar Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site and Big Cedar Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of B (Good). Both are in Washington County, Wisconsin.
Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site and Big Cedar Lake 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site (B) versus Big Cedar Lake (B). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site | Big Cedar Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 8.7 ft | 16.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 20.4 µg/L | 14.1 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 105 ft | 105 ft |
| Surface Area | 937 acres | 937 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 4 | 4 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site: 8.7 ft, Big Cedar Lake: 16.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Big Cedar Lake Northern Basin Deep Site matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.