1
BCarlson Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 0.8 mi from Mccarthy Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → B)
- ++7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (26 vs 195 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Mccarthy Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Mccarthy Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Carlson Lake (Dakota County, Grade B, 0.8 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
BUnnamed Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 1.4 mi from Mccarthy Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → B)
- ++5.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (25 vs 195 µg/L)
3
CFish Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 1.1 mi from Mccarthy Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++5.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (36.5 vs 195 µg/L)
4
CEast Thomas Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 1.2 mi from Mccarthy Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++4.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (30 vs 195 µg/L)
5
CBald Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 1.2 mi from Mccarthy Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++3.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (44 vs 195 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.