Loch Ayr Lake vs Sands Timber Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Loch Ayr Lake has a higher water quality grade (D, Poor) than Sands Timber Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Loch Ayr Lake and Sands Timber Lake sit in Iowa. 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Loch Ayr Lake (D) versus Sands Timber Lake (F). 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.
Loch Ayr Lake
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Sands Timber Lake
Very murky, less than 1.8 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Loch Ayr Lake | Sands Timber Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 2 ft | 1.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 29.7 µg/L | 70.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 78 acres | 70 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | hypereutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Loch Ayr Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade D versus Sands Timber Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 2 ft vs 1.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Loch Ayr Lake also leads with 0 species.