1
AGoodwiler Lake
Iowa County, Wisconsin · 9.5 mi from Garner Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++11 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (29.7 vs 121 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Garner Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Garner Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Goodwiler Lake (Iowa County, Grade A, 9.5 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ACruson Slough Lake
Richland County, Wisconsin · 18.6 mi from Garner Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++20.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (28.9 vs 121 µg/L)
3
BJones Slough Lake
Grant County, Wisconsin · 3.1 mi from Garner Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++11.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (31 vs 121 µg/L)
4
BKendal Lake
Iowa County, Wisconsin · 11.3 mi from Garner Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++18.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (32.7 vs 121 µg/L)
5
BRice Lake
Grant County, Wisconsin · 4.2 mi from Garner Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++10.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (66.6 vs 121 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.