What is the cleanest lake near Clear Lake 1?

North Lake 2 in Goodhue County holds a Grade C water quality score and is 2 miles from Clear Lake 1.

Why is Clear Lake 1 not Grade A?

Clear Lake 1 holds Grade D, with about 45.1 ft of water clarity and 174 µg/L of phosphorus. The grade reflects measured water quality against Metropolitan Council thresholds. Cleaner alternatives nearby score higher on clarity, phosphorus, or chlorophyll-a.

Are these recommendations based on real data?

Yes. Every grade is calculated from EPA Water Quality Portal samples for the lake. Recommendations are limited to lakes within 30 miles of Clear Lake 1 in Minnesota, with strictly higher numeric grade scores and sufficient monitoring data.

Cleaner Lakes Than Clear Lake 1, Top 4 Within 30 Miles, LakeQuality

Cleaner Lakes Than Clear Lake 1

4 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.

Clear Lake 1 carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. North Lake 2 (Goodhue County, Grade C, 2 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.

North Lake 2

Goodhue County, Minnesota · 2 mi from Clear Lake 1

+Higher grade (D → C)
++78.4 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (86.5 vs 174 µg/L)

Sturgeon Lake 2

Goodhue County, Minnesota · 2.9 mi from Clear Lake 1

+Higher grade (D → C)
++89.4 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (88 vs 174 µg/L)

Clear Lake 2

Goodhue County, Minnesota · 1.3 mi from Clear Lake 1

+Higher grade (D → C)
++86.1 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (61 vs 174 µg/L)

North Lake 1

Goodhue County, Minnesota · 1.4 mi from Clear Lake 1

+Higher grade (D → C)
++55 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (99 vs 174 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.