North Lake vs Pewaukee Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
North Lake and Pewaukee Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of B (Good). Both are in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
North Lake and Pewaukee 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 — North Lake (B) versus Pewaukee 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.
North Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Pewaukee Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | North Lake | Pewaukee Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 8 ft | 7.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 17.9 µg/L | 19.9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 78.4 ft | 45 ft |
| Surface Area | 440 acres | 2.4K acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 5 | 5 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
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 (North Lake: 8 ft, Pewaukee Lake: 7.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. North Lake matches its peer on species count.