1
BCarlson Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 0.6 mi from Hilltop Pd Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++4.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (26 vs 97 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Hilltop Pd Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Hilltop Pd Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Carlson Lake (Dakota County, Grade B, 0.6 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
BBlackhawk Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 1.2 mi from Hilltop Pd Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++3.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (25 vs 97 µg/L)
3
CFish Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 1 mi from Hilltop Pd Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++3.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (36.5 vs 97 µg/L)
4
CThomas Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 1.2 mi from Hilltop Pd Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (25 vs 97 µg/L)
5
CEast Thomas Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 0.9 mi from Hilltop Pd Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++1.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (30 vs 97 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.