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LakeQuality

Little St. Germain Lake-West Bay-at St. Germain vs White Sand Lake Deep

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

White Sand Lake Deep has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Little St. Germain Lake-West Bay-at St. Germain (F, Very Poor). Both are in Vilas County, Wisconsin.

Little St. Germain Lake-West Bay-at St. Germain and White Sand Lake Deep 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. White Sand Lake Deep (A) is materially cleaner than Little St. Germain Lake-West Bay-at St. Germain (F). 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 — White Sand Lake Deep 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?

No clarity data.

A

White Sand Lake Deep

Vilas County, Wisconsin

Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricLittle St. Germain Lake-West Bay-at St. GermainWhite Sand Lake Deep
Overall GradeF (Very Poor)A (Excellent)
Water ClarityNo data18 ft
Phosphorus238 µg/LNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth53 ft63 ft
Surface Area972 acres1.2K acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Statehypereutrophicoligotrophic

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

Verdict

White Sand Lake Deep wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Little St. Germain Lake-West Bay-at St. Germain's Grade F. For fishing diversity, White Sand Lake Deep also leads with 0 species.