North Lake vs Oconomowoc Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Oconomowoc Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than North Lake. Both are in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
Both North Lake and Oconomowoc Lake sit in Wisconsin. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: North Lake and Oconomowoc Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings 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.
North Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Oconomowoc Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | North Lake | Oconomowoc Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 8 ft | 12.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 17.9 µg/L | 11.9 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 78.4 ft Better | 60 ft |
| Surface Area | 440 acres | 818 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 5 | 5 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Verdict
North Lake and Oconomowoc Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (North Lake: 8 ft, Oconomowoc Lake: 12.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. North Lake matches its peer on species count.
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Where to stay near North Lake and Oconomowoc Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around North Lake and Oconomowoc Lake. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.