1
ASturgeon Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota · 2.8 mi from South Sturgeon Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++11.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (12.5 vs 20 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than South Sturgeon Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
South Sturgeon Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Sturgeon Lake (St. Louis County, Grade A, 2.8 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ASide Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota · 3.1 mi from South Sturgeon Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++8.5 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (11.5 vs 20 µg/L)
3
APerch Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota · 3.8 mi from South Sturgeon Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++11 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (11 vs 20 µg/L)
4
ABeatrice Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota · 4.5 mi from South Sturgeon Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++8 ft water clarity
5
BWest Sturgeon Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota · 1.6 mi from South Sturgeon Lake
- +Higher grade (C → B)
- ++1.6 ft water clarity
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.