1
AOzawindib Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota · 3.4 mi from Itasca Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++12.7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (7 vs 28 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Itasca Lake
4 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Itasca Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. Ozawindib Lake (Clearwater County, Grade A, 3.4 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
AElk Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota · 2.1 mi from Itasca Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++6.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (18.5 vs 28 µg/L)
3
ABig Lasalle Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota · 5.3 mi from Itasca Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (9 vs 28 µg/L)
4
BAlice Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota · 5.6 mi from Itasca Lake
- +Higher grade (C → B)
- +Lower phosphorus (21 vs 28 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.