What is the cleanest lake near Island Lake?

Jackson Lake in Clearwater County holds a Grade B water quality score and is 8.6 miles from Island Lake.

Why is Island Lake not Grade A?

Island Lake holds Grade C, with about 6.4 ft of water clarity and 30 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 Island Lake in Minnesota, with strictly higher numeric grade scores and sufficient monitoring data.

Cleaner Lakes Than Island Lake, Top 5 Within 30 Miles, LakeQuality

Cleaner Lakes Than Island Lake

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

Island Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Jackson Lake (Clearwater County, Grade B, 8.6 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.

Jackson Lake

Clearwater County, Minnesota · 8.6 mi from Island Lake

+Higher grade (C → B)
++2.5 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (15.5 vs 30 µg/L)

Sand Hill Lake

Polk County, Minnesota · 5.5 mi from Island Lake

+Higher grade (C → B)

Poplar Lake

Polk County, Minnesota · 6.3 mi from Island Lake

+Higher grade (C → B)
++2.5 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (23 vs 30 µg/L)

Second Lake

Clearwater County, Minnesota · 9.6 mi from Island Lake

+Higher grade (C → B)
+Lower phosphorus (21 vs 30 µg/L)

Spring Lake

Polk County, Minnesota · 3.9 mi from Island Lake

+Higher overall water quality score

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.