Big Sand Lake vs Upper Clam Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Sand Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Upper Clam Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
Big Sand Lake and Upper Clam 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: Big Sand Lake grades a A while Upper Clam 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 — Big Sand 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?
Big Sand Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10.5 ft.
Upper Clam Lake
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Sand Lake | Upper Clam Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 10.5 ft | 2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 17 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft | 11 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.4K acres | 1.3K 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
Big Sand Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Upper Clam Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 10.5 ft vs 2 ft. For fishing diversity, Big Sand Lake also leads with 0 species.