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LakeQuality

Lac la Belle Lake vs Oconomowoc Lake No. 1

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Oconomowoc Lake No. 1 has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Lac la Belle Lake (B, Good). Both are in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.

Both Lac la Belle Lake and Oconomowoc Lake No. 1 sit in Wisconsin. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Lac la Belle Lake (B) versus Oconomowoc Lake No. 1 (A). 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.

B

Lac la Belle Lake

Waukesha County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 4.8 ft.

A

Oconomowoc Lake No. 1

Waukesha County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 13.8 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricLac la Belle LakeOconomowoc Lake No. 1
Overall GradeB (Good)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity4.8 ft13.8 ft
Phosphorus14.7 µg/L16 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth45 ft60 ft
Surface Area1.2K acres818 acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statemesotrophicmesotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Oconomowoc Lake No. 1 wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Lac la Belle Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 13.8 ft vs 4.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Oconomowoc Lake No. 1 also leads with 0 species.