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LakeQuality

Grindstone Lake vs Lac Courte Oreilles Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Grindstone Lake and Lac Courte Oreilles Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Sawyer County, Wisconsin.

A

Grindstone Lake

Sawyer County, Wisconsin

Crystal clear, you can see 57.7 ft down.

A

Lac Courte Oreilles Lake

Sawyer County, Wisconsin

Crystal clear, you can see 38.7 ft down.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricGrindstone LakeLac Courte Oreilles Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity57.7 ft38.7 ft
Phosphorus14.4 µg/L16 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)1.7 µg/L1.4 µg/L
Maximum Depth60 ft90 ft
Surface Area3.2K acres5.1K acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species66
Trophic Stateoligotrophicoligotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Grindstone Lake: 57.7 ft, Lac Courte Oreilles Lake: 38.7 ft) and what you want from the lake. Grindstone Lake matches its peer on species count.