Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend

On the LakeGrade rubric, Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend pulls an A: clarity at 11.8 ft and 18 µg/L of phosphorus put it in the top bracket for Wisconsin. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Wisconsin lakes fall. The lake's 105 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Wisconsin — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. The lake's 937 acres and partial shoreline records put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Among the 15 graded lakes in Washington County, Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend ranks 3 — in the top quartile locally.

Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend is on the Wisconsin infested-waters list for zebra mussels — boaters should follow clean-drain-dry protocols when moving gear to or from the lake. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 4 documented species — a notable draw for Wisconsin anglers. A documented public access point at Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.