What is the cleanest lake near Gopher Lake?

Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam in Jackson County holds a Grade D water quality score and is 4.9 miles from Gopher Lake.

Why is Gopher Lake not Grade A?

Gopher Lake holds Grade F, with about 1.2 ft of water clarity and 145.7 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 Gopher Lake in Wisconsin, with strictly higher numeric grade scores and sufficient monitoring data.

Cleaner Lakes Than Gopher Lake, Top 4 Within 30 Miles, LakeQuality

Cleaner Lakes Than Gopher Lake

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

Gopher Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam (Jackson County, Grade D, 4.9 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.

Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam

Jackson County, Wisconsin · 4.9 mi from Gopher Lake

+Higher grade (F → D)
++1.8 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (43 vs 145.7 µg/L)

Cottontail Lake

Jackson County, Wisconsin · 0.7 mi from Gopher Lake

+Higher overall water quality score
+Lower phosphorus (86.5 vs 145.7 µg/L)

Coot Lake

Jackson County, Wisconsin · 1.4 mi from Gopher Lake

+Higher overall water quality score
+Lower phosphorus (77.2 vs 145.7 µg/L)

Raintree Lake

Cass County, Wisconsin · 4.5 mi from Gopher Lake

+Higher overall water quality score
++1.3 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (66.4 vs 145.7 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.