1
BAnderson Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota · 2.7 mi from Rat Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++2.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (14 vs 62 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Rat Lake
2 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Rat Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 2 lakes hold a higher grade. Anderson Lake (Itasca County, Grade B, 2.7 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
CKing Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota · 5.9 mi from Rat Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++1.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (36 vs 62 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.