Lac la Belle Lake vs Pine Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pine Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Lac la Belle Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
Lac la Belle Lake and Pine 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Pine Lake grades a A while Lac la Belle Lake grades a D. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Pine Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Lac la Belle Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft.
Pine Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 25 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lac la Belle Lake | Pine Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.5 ft | 25 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 11.9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 45 ft | 85 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.2K acres | 711 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Pine Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Lac la Belle Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 25 ft vs 5.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Pine Lake also leads with 0 species.