Sand Lake

Sand Lake sits at the top of the Wisconsin DNR grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Wisconsin. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

A TSI value of 26 puts Sand Lake in the oligotrophic range, where biological productivity stays low and the water column remains clear. A maximum depth of 28 ft puts Sand Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. The lake is compact at 23 acres, with partial shoreline records and little volume to buffer nutrient inputs. Sand Lake ranks 5 of 39 in Florence County, putting it in the upper tier of locally monitored lakes.

Sand Lake has no invasive species recorded in Wisconsin state databases as of 2023, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery is bass-led, with 2 documented species across the lake's records. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.