1
ALake Capri
St. Francois County, Wisconsin · 21.2 mi from Shepard Mountain Lake Intake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++13.5 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (5.7 vs 37 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Shepard Mountain Lake Intake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Shepard Mountain Lake Intake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Lake Capri (St. Francois County, Grade A, 21.2 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ACouncil Bluff Lake
Iron County, Wisconsin · 16.7 mi from Shepard Mountain Lake Intake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++10.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (5.3 vs 37 µg/L)
3
ALake Marseilles-Terre du Lac Lakes
St. Francois County, Wisconsin · 21.1 mi from Shepard Mountain Lake Intake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++11.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (7.4 vs 37 µg/L)
4
ALake Shayne-Terre du Lac Lakes
Washington County, Wisconsin · 21.2 mi from Shepard Mountain Lake Intake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++8.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (5 vs 37 µg/L)
5
ATimberline Lakes
St. Francois County, Wisconsin · 28.4 mi from Shepard Mountain Lake Intake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++11.5 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (5.5 vs 37 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.