Pewaukee Lake vs Pine Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pewaukee Lake and Pine Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Waukesha County, Wisconsin.
Both Pewaukee Lake and Pine 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: Pewaukee Lake and Pine 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.
Pewaukee Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft.
Pine Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 25 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pewaukee Lake | Pine Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 7.5 ft | 25 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 19.9 µg/L | 12.2 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 45 ft | 85 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 2,437 acres | 711 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 5 | 5 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
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.
Swap a lake
Compare Pewaukee Lake or Pine Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Pewaukee Lake: 7.5 ft, Pine Lake: 25 ft) and what you want from the lake. Pewaukee Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.