1
AAntler Lake
Polk County, Wisconsin · 2.9 mi from Big Butternut Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++29.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15 vs 62.1 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Big Butternut Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Big Butternut Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Antler Lake (Polk County, Grade A, 2.9 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ABone Lake
Polk County, Wisconsin · 4.3 mi from Big Butternut Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++9.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (20.2 vs 62.1 µg/L)
3
ALost Lake
Polk County, Wisconsin · 5 mi from Big Butternut Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++4.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (25.4 vs 62.1 µg/L)
4
BRice Lake
Polk County, Wisconsin · 5 mi from Big Butternut Lake
- +Higher grade (C → B)
- +Lower phosphorus (25.4 vs 62.1 µg/L)
5
BPogo Lake
Polk County, Wisconsin · 5.3 mi from Big Butternut Lake
- +Higher grade (C → B)
- ++1.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (38.2 vs 62.1 µg/L)
How this list is built
Every lake on LakeQuality has a calculated grade from EPA Water Quality Portal samples — secchi depth, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a measured against Metropolitan Council thresholds. To suggest cleaner alternatives, we filter lakes within 30 miles to those with a strictly higher numeric score, then rank by grade improvement with a small proximity tiebreak. Cross-state and limited-data lakes are excluded so the list stays locally relevant.