1
ABig Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota · 2.7 mi from Cedar Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++7.5 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (12 vs 40 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Cedar Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Cedar Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Big Lake (Carlton County, Grade A, 2.7 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ASofie Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota · 3.3 mi from Cedar Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++11.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (20.5 vs 40 µg/L)
3
APat Martin Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota · 3.5 mi from Cedar Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++9.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15 vs 40 µg/L)
4
ALac Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota · 4 mi from Cedar Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++10.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15.5 vs 40 µg/L)
5
ALost Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota · 4.3 mi from Cedar Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++10.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (17 vs 40 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.