1
AWhite Lake
Marquette County, Wisconsin · 6.8 mi from Buffalo Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++49.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (10.8 vs 125.5 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Buffalo Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Buffalo Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. White Lake (Marquette County, Grade A, 6.8 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ACrooked Lake
Adams County, Wisconsin · 11.1 mi from Buffalo Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++19.7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (16.7 vs 125.5 µg/L)
3
ATuttle Lake
Marquette County, Wisconsin · 11.6 mi from Buffalo Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++28.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15.8 vs 125.5 µg/L)
4
AWilliams Lake
Marquette County, Wisconsin · 1 mi from Buffalo Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++9.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (21.4 vs 125.5 µg/L)
5
ALawrence Lake
Marquette County, Wisconsin · 11.5 mi from Buffalo Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++12.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (25.2 vs 125.5 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.