Big Sand Lake vs Sand Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Sand Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Sand Lake (B, Good). Both are in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
Both Big Sand Lake and Sand Lake sit in Wisconsin. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are close: Big Sand Lake (A) and Sand Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Sand Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Sand Lake | Sand Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 11 ft | 18 ft |
| Phosphorus | 19.5 µg/L | 10.4 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.3 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft | 73 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,434 acres | 900 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 5 | 4 |
| 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 Sand Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 11 ft vs 18 ft. For fishing diversity, Big Sand Lake also leads with 5 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.