Birch Island Lake vs Sand Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Birch Island Lake and Sand Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
Birch Island Lake and 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. These two sit close on the readings, Birch Island Lake versus Sand 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.
Birch Island Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Sand Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Birch Island Lake | Sand Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 8 ft | 18 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 13.7 µg/L | 10.4 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 13 ft | 73 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 768 acres | 900 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 3 | 4 Better |
| 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.
Swap a lake
Compare Birch Island Lake or Sand Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Birch Island Lake: 8 ft, Sand Lake: 18 ft) and what you want from the lake. Birch Island Lake has fewer fish species than Sand Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.