Big Sand Lake vs Middle Mckenzie Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Sand Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Middle Mckenzie Lake. 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 sit close on the readings, Big Sand Lake versus Middle Mckenzie Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With readings 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 11 ft | 20 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 19.5 µg/L | 12.4 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.3 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft Better | 45 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,434 acres | 527 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 5 | 5 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Compare Big Sand Lake or Middle Mckenzie Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Big Sand Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Middle Mckenzie Lake. 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.