Lake Waubesa vs Lake Wingra
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake Wingra has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Lake Waubesa (D, Poor). Both are in Dane County, Wisconsin.
Both Lake Waubesa and Lake Wingra 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. The grades are close: Lake Waubesa (D) and Lake Wingra (C) 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.
Lake Waubesa
Very murky, less than 3.2 ft of visibility.
Lake Wingra
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lake Waubesa | Lake Wingra |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 3.2 ft | 4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 36.6 µg/L | 33.8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 5.4K acres | 345 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Lake Wingra wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Lake Waubesa's Grade D. Water clarity: 4 ft vs 3.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Lake Wingra also leads with 0 species.