1
AHoward Lake
Cass County, Minnesota · 1.2 mi from Million Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++11 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (9 vs 21 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Million Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Million Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Howard Lake (Cass County, Grade A, 1.2 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ATen Mile Lake
Cass County, Minnesota · 3.4 mi from Million Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++15 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (8 vs 21 µg/L)
3
ABig Bass Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota · 3.9 mi from Million Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++14.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (5 vs 21 µg/L)
4
A11 Crow Wing Lake
Hubbard County, Minnesota · 4.7 mi from Million Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++13.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (11 vs 21 µg/L)
5
ACrystal Lake
Cass County, Minnesota · 5.1 mi from Million Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++11 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (7 vs 21 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.