1
ALinka Lake
Pope County, Minnesota · 1.1 mi from Gilchrist Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++6.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (19 vs 62.5 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Gilchrist Lake
3 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Gilchrist Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 3 lakes hold a higher grade. Linka Lake (Pope County, Grade A, 1.1 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
BScandinavian Lake
Pope County, Minnesota · 1.9 mi from Gilchrist Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++4.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (18.5 vs 62.5 µg/L)
3
CNelson Lake
Pope County, Minnesota · 5 mi from Gilchrist Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++2.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (23.5 vs 62.5 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.