Sand Lake vs Sissabagama Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Sand Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Sissabagama Lake (B, Good). Both are in Sawyer County, Wisconsin.
Sand Lake and Sissabagama 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Sand Lake (A) versus Sissabagama Lake (B). 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.
Sand Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft.
Sissabagama Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Sand Lake | Sissabagama Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 10 ft | 8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 23.8 µg/L | 18.7 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.1 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 50 ft | 48 ft |
| Surface Area | 949 acres | 805 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 | 6 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
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 Sissabagama Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 10 ft vs 8 ft. For fishing diversity, Sand Lake also leads with 6 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.