1
CHappy Holler Lake
Andrew County, Wisconsin · 15.6 mi from King Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- +Lower phosphorus (63 vs 186 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than King Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
King Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Happy Holler Lake (Andrew County, Grade C, 15.6 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
DBuffalo Bill Lake Nr. Access
DeKalb County, Wisconsin · 14.5 mi from King Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- +Lower phosphorus (71.3 vs 186 µg/L)
3
DPony Express Lake
DeKalb County, Wisconsin · 15.4 mi from King Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- +Lower phosphorus (53.2 vs 186 µg/L)
4
DHamilton Lake
Caldwell County, Wisconsin · 28.7 mi from King Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- +Lower phosphorus (64.2 vs 186 µg/L)
5
DBuffalo Bill Lake 0.4 Mi From Dam
DeKalb County, Wisconsin · 14.4 mi from King Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- ++1.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (50 vs 186 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.