Greenwood Lake vs Sand Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Sand Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Greenwood Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Lake County, Minnesota.
Greenwood Lake and Sand Lake are both in Minnesota — 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 are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Greenwood Lake (C) versus Sand Lake (C). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Greenwood Lake
Very murky, less than 2.1 ft of visibility.
Sand Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Greenwood Lake | Sand Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 2.1 ft | 4.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 27.5 µg/L | 22 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 7 ft | 11 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.3K acres | 486.47 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 7 | 9 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
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 C versus Greenwood Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 4.1 ft vs 2.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Sand Lake also leads with 9 species.