1
BLake Marie
Mercer County, Wisconsin · 7.9 mi from Lake Paho
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++5.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (13 vs 37 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Lake Paho
2 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Lake Paho carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 2 lakes hold a higher grade. Lake Marie (Mercer County, Grade B, 7.9 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
BNorth Bethany City Reservoir
Harrison County, Wisconsin · 20.8 mi from Lake Paho
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++8.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (11 vs 37 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.