Clam Lake vs Sand Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Sand Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Clam Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
Both Clam 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. Sand Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Clam Lake (D). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — 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?
Clam Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Sand Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18.3 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clam Lake | Sand Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 3 ft | 18.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 66 µg/L | 9.9 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 13 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 11 ft | 73 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.3K acres | 900 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Sand Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Clam Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 18.3 ft vs 3 ft. For fishing diversity, Sand Lake also leads with 0 species.