What is the cleanest lake near Hanska Lake?

St. James Lake in Watonwan County holds a Grade D water quality score and is 11.2 miles from Hanska Lake.

Why is Hanska Lake not Grade A?

Hanska Lake holds Grade F, with about 1 ft of water clarity and 218 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 Hanska Lake in Minnesota, with strictly higher numeric grade scores and sufficient monitoring data.

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

Cleaner Lakes Than Hanska Lake

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

Hanska Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. St. James Lake (Watonwan County, Grade D, 11.2 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.

St. James Lake

Watonwan County, Minnesota · 11.2 mi from Hanska Lake

+Higher grade (F → D)
++2 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (51 vs 218 µg/L)

Fedji Lake

Watonwan County, Minnesota · 11.4 mi from Hanska Lake

+Higher grade (F → D)
++2.1 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (48 vs 218 µg/L)

Sleepy Eye Lake

Brown County, Minnesota · 13.5 mi from Hanska Lake

+Higher grade (F → D)
++2.3 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (39.5 vs 218 µg/L)

Long Lake

Watonwan County, Minnesota · 16.2 mi from Hanska Lake

+Higher grade (F → D)
++1.8 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (65.5 vs 218 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.