1
ABig Portage Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin · 8 mi from Lac Vieux Desert Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++56.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (11.7 vs 28.2 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Lac Vieux Desert Lake
4 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Lac Vieux Desert Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. Big Portage Lake (Vilas County, Grade A, 8 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
APioneer Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin · 8.6 mi from Lac Vieux Desert Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++25.5 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15.2 vs 28.2 µg/L)
3
ABlack Oak Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin · 9.6 mi from Lac Vieux Desert Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++82.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (10.2 vs 28.2 µg/L)
4
ALittle Portage Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin · 6.6 mi from Lac Vieux Desert Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++14.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (20.6 vs 28.2 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.