1
AThird Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota · 8 mi from Hay Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++4.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (13.5 vs 24 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Hay Lake
4 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Hay Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. Third Lake (Carlton County, Grade A, 8 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ABig Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota · 10.5 mi from Hay Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++5.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (12 vs 24 µg/L)
3
BPark Lake
Carlton County, Minnesota · 9 mi from Hay Lake
- +Higher grade (C → B)
- +Lower phosphorus (14 vs 24 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.