1
AElbow Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota · 2.4 mi from South Turtle Lake
- +Higher grade (B → A)
- ++4.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (11 vs 20 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than South Turtle Lake
3 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
South Turtle Lake carries a Grade B (Good) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 3 lakes hold a higher grade. Elbow Lake (Otter Tail County, Grade A, 2.4 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
AUnnamed Lake
Otter Tail County, Minnesota · 4.3 mi from South Turtle Lake
- +Higher grade (B → A)
- +Lower phosphorus (9 vs 20 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.