Sand Lake vs Spirit Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Sand Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Spirit Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Burnett County, Wisconsin.
Sand Lake and Spirit Lake 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Sand Lake grades a A while Spirit Lake grades a D. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
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?
Sand Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18.3 ft down.
Spirit Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Sand Lake | Spirit Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 18.3 ft | 5.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 9.9 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 73 ft | 27 ft |
| Surface Area | 900 acres | 592 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | 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 A versus Spirit Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 18.3 ft vs 5.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Sand Lake also leads with 0 species.