Sand Lake
Rusk County, Wisconsin272 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Sand Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- Curly-Leaf Pondweed
- 100 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Sand Lake in Rusk County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 100 ft. Surface area: 272 acres.
Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Sand Lake. DNR survey details →
Sand Lake is a 272-acre lake in Rusk County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 100 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2023-07-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Sand Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water15.3 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing5 species recorded
- Deep water100 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sand Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Sand Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Sand Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Sand Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 15.3 ft down. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 15.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Sand Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Blue-Green Algae (Cyanobacteria)
There’s no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Sand Lake — clouds, ice, or an off-season gap in coverage. The most recent reading was moderate (48,753 cells/mL) on April 11, 2026.
Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check your state’s current advisory before swimming. EPA CyAN ↗
Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Sand Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
WI DNR Lake Profile
Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2023).
Fish Species (DNR-rated)
Lake Details
Max depth
100 ft
Surface area
272 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Wisconsin DNR
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,073 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Sand LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Sand Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Sand Lake in Rusk County, Wisconsin — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Sand Lake
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Follow Sand Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Sand Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2020–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Sand Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit WI10006531 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Rusk County
Frequently asked questions about Sand Lake
Where is Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake is a lake in Rusk County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake in Rusk County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 100 ft. Surface area: 272 acres.
Is Sand Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Sand Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake has a maximum depth of 100 feet. The lake covers 272 acres.
What fish are in Sand Lake?
- Fish species found in Sand Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Sand Lake is located in Rusk County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Sand Lake?
- Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Sand Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Sand Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Does Sand Lake have blue-green algae?
- There is no recent EPA CyAN cyanobacteria estimate for Sand Lake (clouds, ice, or an off-season gap). The most recent reading was moderate (48,753 cells/mL). Blue-green algae can appear and clear within days, so check Wisconsin's current advisory before swimming.
Are there boat ramps on Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Sand Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Sand Lake?
- Sand Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Wisconsin's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Sand Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX10 samples · 2020–2023
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory