What is the cleanest lake near Pelican Lake?

Minnewaska Lake in Pope County holds a Grade B water quality score and is 1.8 miles from Pelican Lake.

Why is Pelican Lake not Grade A?

Pelican Lake holds Grade C, with about 5 ft of water clarity and 49 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 Pelican Lake in Minnesota, with strictly higher numeric grade scores and sufficient monitoring data.

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

Cleaner Lakes Than Pelican Lake

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

Pelican Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. Minnewaska Lake (Pope County, Grade B, 1.8 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.

Minnewaska Lake

Pope County, Minnesota · 1.8 mi from Pelican Lake

+Higher grade (C → B)
++6.2 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (23.5 vs 49 µg/L)

Scandinavian Lake

Pope County, Minnesota · 7 mi from Pelican Lake

+Higher grade (C → B)
++2.9 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (17 vs 49 µg/L)

Amelia Lake

Pope County, Minnesota · 7.8 mi from Pelican Lake

+Higher grade (C → B)
++4.2 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (17.5 vs 49 µg/L)

Reno Lake

Pope County, Minnesota · 7.1 mi from Pelican Lake

+Higher overall water quality score
++1.9 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (33 vs 49 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.