1
ALoon Lake
Barron County, Wisconsin · 2 mi from Staples Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++21.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (18.6 vs 134 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Staples Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Staples Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Loon Lake (Barron County, Grade A, 2 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
APipe Lake
Polk County, Wisconsin · 3.4 mi from Staples Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++29.5 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (14.5 vs 134 µg/L)
3
ALong Lake
Polk County, Wisconsin · 1.4 mi from Staples Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++8.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (27.7 vs 134 µg/L)
4
ANorth Lake
Barron County, Wisconsin · 3.2 mi from Staples Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++9.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (22.7 vs 134 µg/L)
5
BMud Lake
Polk County, Wisconsin · 3.1 mi from Staples Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++5.7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (24.7 vs 134 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.