1
AGeorge Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota · 1.5 mi from Nest Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++7.7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (14 vs 30 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Nest Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Nest Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. George Lake (Kandiyohi County, Grade A, 1.5 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
AGreen Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota · 2.5 mi from Nest Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++5.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (14 vs 30 µg/L)
3
AHenderson Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota · 2.5 mi from Nest Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++6.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (9 vs 30 µg/L)
4
AElkhorn Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota · 3.5 mi from Nest Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++6.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15 vs 30 µg/L)
5
BFlorida Lake
Kandiyohi County, Minnesota · 4.5 mi from Nest Lake
- +Higher grade (C → B)
- ++5.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (20 vs 30 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.