1
CGolden Lake
Anoka County, Minnesota · 2.1 mi from Rice Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++2.7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (56 vs 128 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Rice Lake
4 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Rice Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. Golden Lake (Anoka County, Grade C, 2.1 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
CAmelia Lake
Anoka County, Minnesota · 3.5 mi from Rice Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++1.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (37 vs 128 µg/L)
3
CCharley Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota · 3.9 mi from Rice Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++2.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (55 vs 128 µg/L)
4
DDeep Lake
Ramsey County, Minnesota · 3.4 mi from Rice Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- ++1.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (72 vs 128 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.