What is the cleanest lake near Gerhardt Lake?

Holland Lake in Dakota County holds a Grade A water quality score and is 2.2 miles from Gerhardt Lake.

Why is Gerhardt Lake not Grade A?

Gerhardt Lake holds Grade D, with about 2.5 ft of water clarity and 43 µg/L of phosphorus. The grade reflects measured water quality against Metropolitan Council thresholds. Cleaner alternatives nearby score higher on clarity, phosphorus, or chlorophyll-a.

Are these recommendations based on real data?

Yes. Every grade is calculated from EPA Water Quality Portal samples for the lake. Recommendations are limited to lakes within 30 miles of Gerhardt Lake in Minnesota, with strictly higher numeric grade scores and sufficient monitoring data.

Cleaner Lakes Than Gerhardt Lake, Top 5 Within 30 Miles, LakeQuality

Cleaner Lakes Than Gerhardt Lake

5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.

Gerhardt Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Holland Lake (Dakota County, Grade A, 2.2 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.

Holland Lake

Dakota County, Minnesota · 2.2 mi from Gerhardt Lake

+Two grade letters higher (D → A)
++25.4 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (20 vs 43 µg/L)

O'Brien Lake

Dakota County, Minnesota · 2.2 mi from Gerhardt Lake

+Two grade letters higher (D → B)
++17.2 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (21 vs 43 µg/L)

Carlson Lake

Dakota County, Minnesota · 1.9 mi from Gerhardt Lake

+Two grade letters higher (D → B)
++5.5 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (26 vs 43 µg/L)

Jensen Lake

Dakota County, Minnesota · 1.2 mi from Gerhardt Lake

+Higher grade (D → C)
++2.5 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (23.5 vs 43 µg/L)

Thomas Lake

Dakota County, Minnesota · 1.2 mi from Gerhardt Lake

+Higher grade (D → C)
++3.1 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (25 vs 43 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.