Crooked Lake

Crooked Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Waukesha County. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Trophically, Crooked Lake reads as oligotrophic — nutrient-poor, clear, and ecologically more sensitive to disturbance than richer lakes. A maximum depth of 16 ft puts Crooked Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. At 51 acres, Crooked Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Crooked Lake ranks 20 of 48 in Waukesha County — solidly in the upper half of the local distribution.

Crooked Lake 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 is bass-led, with 3 documented species across the lake's records. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.