1
Three Mile Lake
Union County, Iowa · 9.1 mi from Mckinley Lake
- ++1.7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (43 vs 150 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Mckinley Lake
1 lake with lower nutrient and algae readings within 30 miles, ranked by the size of the improvement and by proximity.
Mckinley Lake carries nutrient and algae readings on record. Within 30 miles, 1 lake reads lower. Three Mile Lake (Union County, 9.1 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated
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Where to stay near Mckinley Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Mckinley Lake in Iowa. The lake above sits within 30 miles, so one base reaches it. Switch the map to Satellite to see how close each stay is to the water.
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Reading the cohort
Just one nearby water body scores higher than Mckinley Lake on the EPA metrics within a 30-mile radius. The single cleaner option (below) is the practical alternative; beyond that, the next-cleanest lakes sit farther out and warrant a longer drive only if the water-quality difference is the deciding factor.
Three Mile Lake (Union County) is the closest cleaner option at 9.1 miles from Mckinley Lake: close enough to be a genuine substitute for most users, far enough that it isn't the same neighborhood lake. Worth the trip if water quality is the primary driver; less obvious if Mckinley Lake is on the way to other plans.
Each lake's nutrient and algae readings — total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity — are shown beside the EPA National Lakes Assessment 2022 condition class for that lake's own ecoregion, so a reading is compared against the lakes it would naturally resemble. LakeQuality publishes no letter grade. Lower readings mean measurably less nutrient and algae in the water, not better scenery or access: the lake with the clearest, lowest-nutrient water can have worse boat-launch facilities or shoreline access than a neighbor, so the comparison is one input alongside the rest of trip planning. How the readings are classified is on our methodology page.
How this list is built
Sampled lakes on LakeQuality carry readings from EPA Water Quality Portal samples — nutrients and algae measured against EPA National Lakes Assessment ecoregion classes. Secchi is shown, not scored. To suggest cleaner alternatives, we filter lakes within 30 miles to those with strictly lower nutrient and algae readings, then rank by the size of the improvement with a small proximity tiebreak. Cross-state and limited-data lakes are excluded so the list stays locally relevant.