Beaver Dam Lake vs Little Sand Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Beaver Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Little Sand Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Barron County, Wisconsin.
Beaver Dam Lake and Little Sand Lake are both in Wisconsin — 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: Beaver Dam Lake grades a A while Little Sand Lake grades a C. 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 — Beaver Dam 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?
Beaver Dam Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Little Sand Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Beaver Dam Lake | Little Sand Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 11 ft | 5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 13 µg/L | 28.2 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 1.2K acres | 94 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Beaver Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Little Sand Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 11 ft vs 5 ft. For fishing diversity, Beaver Dam Lake also leads with 0 species.