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Late afternoon sun over Slim Lake, scattering a bright path across wind-textured water

Cleaner Lakes Than Gustafson Lake

3 lakes with lower nutrient and algae readings within 30 miles, ranked by the size of the improvement and by proximity.

Gustafson Lake carries nutrient and algae readings on record. Within 30 miles, 3 lakes read lower. Storm Lake Max Depth (Buena Vista County, 18 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated
2

Newell Pit Lake

Buena Vista County, Iowa · 19 mi from Gustafson Lake
  • ++1.8 ft water clarity
  • +Lower phosphorus (37 vs 48.2 µg/L)

Stays via Stay22

Where to stay near Gustafson Lake

Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Gustafson Lake in Iowa. The 3 lakes above sit within 30 miles, so one base reaches them all. Switch the map to Satellite to see how close each stay is to the water.

Top-rated places to stay near Gustafson Lake

Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

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Reading the cohort

Within 30 miles of Gustafson Lake, 3 lakes carry lower nutrient and algae readings on the EPA water-quality metrics. The short list means the alternatives are real upgrades but not interchangeable: each carries its own access, size, and species mix worth checking before substituting it into a weekend plan.

The nearest cleaner alternative — Storm Lake Max Depth in Buena Vista County — sits 18 miles from Gustafson Lake, putting it firmly in "destination trip" rather than "neighborhood swap" range. The water-quality gap has to be the deciding factor; for a casual outing, Gustafson Lake is the practical choice and the cleaner options are reserved for purpose-specific visits.

Each lake's nutrient and algae readings — total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity — are shown beside the EPA National Lakes Assessment 2022 condition class for that lake's own ecoregion, so a reading is compared against the lakes it would naturally resemble. LakeQuality publishes no letter grade. Lower readings mean measurably less nutrient and algae in the water, not better scenery or access: the lake with the clearest, lowest-nutrient water can have worse boat-launch facilities or shoreline access than a neighbor, so the comparison is one input alongside the rest of trip planning. How the readings are classified is on our methodology page.

How this list is built

Sampled lakes on LakeQuality carry readings from EPA Water Quality Portal samples — nutrients and algae measured against EPA National Lakes Assessment ecoregion classes. Secchi is shown, not scored. To suggest cleaner alternatives, we filter lakes within 30 miles to those with strictly lower nutrient and algae readings, then rank by the size of the improvement with a small proximity tiebreak. Cross-state and limited-data lakes are excluded so the list stays locally relevant.

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