1
ALac Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota · 0.8 mi from Deadfish Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++12.7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15.5 vs 48.5 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Deadfish Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Deadfish Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Lac Lake (Carlton County, Grade A, 0.8 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ALost Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota · 3.4 mi from Deadfish Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++13.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (17 vs 48.5 µg/L)
3
BHardwood Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota · 1.9 mi from Deadfish Lake
- +Higher grade (C → B)
- ++3.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (20 vs 48.5 µg/L)
4
CRice Portage Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota · 3.3 mi from Deadfish Lake
- +Higher overall water quality score
- +Lower phosphorus (29.5 vs 48.5 µg/L)
5
CPerch Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota · 4.2 mi from Deadfish Lake
- +Higher overall water quality score
- ++3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (25 vs 48.5 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.