North Lake

North Lake carries a solid B grade — strong on most parameters, with measurements that hold up well across the summer season. Clarity is the limiting factor — phosphorus is reasonable but suspended particles or algal cells keep water transparency below Wisconsin norms.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at North Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. North Lake is unusually deep for Wisconsin at 78 ft, which buffers the lake against summer warming and helps the deep water stay oxygenated. North Lake covers 440 acres alongside partial shoreline records — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Among the 45 graded lakes in Waukesha County, North Lake sits at rank 22, above the county median.

Zebra mussel presence at North Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. Walleye are documented at North Lake, one of 5 fish species on record for the lake. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.