1
ANorris Lake
Mahnomen County, Minnesota · 3.7 mi from Roy Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++5.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15 vs 24 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Roy Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Roy Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Norris Lake (Mahnomen County, Grade A, 3.7 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
AIsland Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota · 4.4 mi from Roy Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++8.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15 vs 24 µg/L)
3
ABass Lake
Mahnomen County, Minnesota · 6.5 mi from Roy Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++7.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (10 vs 24 µg/L)
4
AWaptus Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota · 6.7 mi from Roy Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++8.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15 vs 24 µg/L)
5
BJackson Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota · 3.4 mi from Roy Lake
- +Higher grade (C → B)
- ++2.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15.5 vs 24 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.