1
AEast Hunter Lake
Sherburne County, Minnesota · 6.6 mi from Elk Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++19.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (26 vs 74 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Elk Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Elk Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. East Hunter Lake (Sherburne County, Grade A, 6.6 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ASandy Lake
Sherburne County, Minnesota · 5.1 mi from Elk Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++11.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (12.5 vs 74 µg/L)
3
AAnn Lake
Sherburne County, Minnesota · 5.1 mi from Elk Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++9.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15.5 vs 74 µg/L)
4
BWest Hunter Lake
Sherburne County, Minnesota · 6.3 mi from Elk Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++14.7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (30 vs 74 µg/L)
5
CBlue Lake
Isanti County, Minnesota · 6.2 mi from Elk Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++6.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (47 vs 74 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.