Big Sand Lake vs Middle Mckenzie Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Sand Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Middle Mckenzie Lake (B, Good). Both are in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
Big Sand Lake and Middle Mckenzie 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Big Sand Lake (A) versus Middle Mckenzie Lake (B). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Big Sand Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Middle Mckenzie Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Sand Lake | Middle Mckenzie Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 11 ft | 20 ft |
| Phosphorus | 19.5 µg/L | 12.4 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.3 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft | 45 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,434 acres | 527 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 5 | 5 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Big Sand Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Middle Mckenzie Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 11 ft vs 20 ft. For fishing diversity, Big Sand Lake also leads with 5 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.