Beaulieu Lake vs Sand Hill Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Sand Hill Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Beaulieu Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Minnesota.
Beaulieu Lake and Sand Hill Lake are both in Minnesota — 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Sand Hill Lake grades a B while Beaulieu Lake grades a F. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Sand Hill Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Beaulieu Lake
Very murky, less than 1.3 ft of visibility.
Sand Hill Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Beaulieu Lake | Sand Hill Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 1.3 ft | 6.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 90 µg/L | 26 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 300 acres | 510 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 1 |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Sand Hill Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Beaulieu Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 6.9 ft vs 1.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Sand Hill Lake also leads with 1 species.