1
BSnail Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota · 2.3 mi from Gilfillan Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (20 vs 48 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Gilfillan Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Gilfillan Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Snail Lake (Ramsey County, Grade B, 2.3 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
CBlack Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota · 1.1 mi from Gilfillan Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++3.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (36 vs 48 µg/L)
3
CBirch Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota · 1.8 mi from Gilfillan Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++2.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (21 vs 48 µg/L)
4
CSucker Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota · 1.2 mi from Gilfillan Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++2.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (36 vs 48 µg/L)
5
CPleasant Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota · 1.4 mi from Gilfillan Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++2.6 ft water clarity
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.