1
ALittle Birch Lake
Todd County, Minnesota · 7.2 mi from Sauk Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++10.5 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (18 vs 49 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Sauk Lake
2 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Sauk Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 2 lakes hold a higher grade. Little Birch Lake (Todd County, Grade A, 7.2 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
BBig Birch Lake
Todd County, Minnesota · 9.4 mi from Sauk Lake
- +Higher grade (C → B)
- ++9.5 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (25 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.