1
ASwan Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota · 3.7 mi from Mud Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++10.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (17.5 vs 87 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Mud Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Mud Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Swan Lake (Otter Tail County, Grade A, 3.7 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
APebble Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota · 6 mi from Mud Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++11.7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (16.5 vs 87 µg/L)
3
BTen Mile Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota · 3.8 mi from Mud Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++12.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (24 vs 87 µg/L)
4
BWall Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota · 6.1 mi from Mud Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++7.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (21 vs 87 µg/L)
5
CUnnamed Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota · 1.6 mi from Mud Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++2.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (25 vs 87 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.