What is the cleanest lake near Mud Lake?

Rock Lake in Jefferson County holds a Grade A water quality score and is 2.7 miles from Mud Lake.

Why is Mud Lake not Grade A?

Mud Lake holds Grade C, with about 7.4 ft of water clarity and 63.1 µg/L of phosphorus. The grade reflects measured water quality against Metropolitan Council thresholds. Cleaner alternatives nearby score higher on clarity, phosphorus, or chlorophyll-a.

Are these recommendations based on real data?

Yes. Every grade is calculated from EPA Water Quality Portal samples for the lake. Recommendations are limited to lakes within 30 miles of Mud Lake in Wisconsin, with strictly higher numeric grade scores and sufficient monitoring data.

Cleaner Lakes Than Mud Lake, Top 4 Within 30 Miles, LakeQuality

Cleaner Lakes Than Mud Lake

4 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.

Mud Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. Rock Lake (Jefferson County, Grade A, 2.7 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.

Rock Lake

Jefferson County, Wisconsin · 2.7 mi from Mud Lake

+Two grade letters higher (C → A)
++32 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (17.9 vs 63.1 µg/L)

Lake Ripley

Jefferson County, Wisconsin · 4.7 mi from Mud Lake

+Two grade letters higher (C → A)
++20.5 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (22.3 vs 63.1 µg/L)

Red Cedar Lake

Jefferson County, Wisconsin · 6 mi from Mud Lake

+Higher grade (C → B)
++5.7 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (23.7 vs 63.1 µg/L)

Clear Lake

Rock County, Wisconsin · 17.2 mi from Mud Lake

+Higher overall water quality score
++2.4 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (38.5 vs 63.1 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.