1
ALake Ripley
Jefferson County, Wisconsin · 14 mi from Clear Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++18.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (22.3 vs 38.5 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Clear Lake
2 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Clear Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 2 lakes hold a higher grade. Lake Ripley (Jefferson County, Grade A, 14 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
BRed Cedar Lake
Jefferson County, Wisconsin · 12.1 mi from Clear Lake
- +Higher grade (C → B)
- ++3.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (23.7 vs 38.5 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.