1
BSunfish Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 3.5 mi from Upper Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++5.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (20 vs 153.5 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Upper Lake
2 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Upper Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 2 lakes hold a higher grade. Sunfish Lake (Dakota County, Grade B, 3.5 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
BLemay Lake
Dakota County, Minnesota · 3.8 mi from Upper Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- +Lower phosphorus (27 vs 153.5 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.