1
APigeon Lake
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin · 6.1 mi from Carstens Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++12.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15.4 vs 92.6 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Carstens Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Carstens Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Pigeon Lake (Manitowoc County, Grade A, 6.1 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ASpring Lake
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin · 7.7 mi from Carstens Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (19.6 vs 92.6 µg/L)
3
AEnglish Lake
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin · 1.7 mi from Carstens Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++7.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (26.7 vs 92.6 µg/L)
4
AKasbaum Lake
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin · 2.8 mi from Carstens Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++14.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (22.2 vs 92.6 µg/L)
5
BHartlaub Lake
Manitowoc County, Wisconsin · 2 mi from Carstens Lake
- +Higher grade (C → B)
- +Lower phosphorus (35.8 vs 92.6 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.