1
BOtter Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota · 2.1 mi from Caroline Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (18 vs 52 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Caroline Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Caroline Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Otter Lake (Stearns County, Grade B, 2.1 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
BSchool Section Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota · 3.8 mi from Caroline Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++6.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (14 vs 52 µg/L)
3
BClearwater Lake
Wright County, Minnesota · 4 mi from Caroline Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++7.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (21 vs 52 µg/L)
4
BJohn Lake
Wright County, Minnesota · 4.2 mi from Caroline Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++5.5 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (22 vs 52 µg/L)
5
CAugusta Lake
Stearns County, Minnesota · 1.8 mi from Caroline Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++2.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (25 vs 52 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.