1
DFedji Lake
Watonwan County, Minnesota · 14.2 mi from Clear Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- ++2.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (48 vs 196 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Clear Lake
3 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Clear Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 3 lakes hold a higher grade. Fedji Lake (Watonwan County, Grade D, 14.2 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
DSt. James Lake
Watonwan County, Minnesota · 20.5 mi from Clear Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- ++2.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (51 vs 196 µg/L)
3
DSleepy Eye Lake
Brown County, Minnesota · 10.8 mi from Clear Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- ++2.5 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (39.5 vs 196 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.