1
DScotch Lake
Le Sueur County, Minnesota · 3.2 mi from Jefferson Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- ++2.1 ft water clarity
Cleaner Lakes Than Jefferson Lake
3 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Jefferson Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 3 lakes hold a higher grade. Scotch Lake (Le Sueur County, Grade D, 3.2 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
DGerman Lake
Le Sueur County, Minnesota · 4 mi from Jefferson Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- ++1.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (84 vs 90 µg/L)
3
FWashington Lake
Le Sueur County, Minnesota · 3.4 mi from Jefferson Lake
- +Higher overall water quality score
- ++2.5 ft water clarity
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.