Montana is known for its beautiful rivers, lakes, and majestic mountain ranges. One of the state's lakes has been included on a list of the cleanest lakes in America.

Flathead Lake
Photo by Alek Newton on Unsplash
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In many parts of Montana, you can find pristine lakes with clear blue water. It is one of the things that makes the state so beautiful. You can swim in almost any lake in Montana to cool off during the summer, and most of the time, you can see straight to the bottom.

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A-Z-Animals just updated their list of the cleanest lakes in America, and it turns out that Flathead Lake is not only the cleanest lake in Montana, but it's also one of the cleanest in the country. Flathead Lake ranked #8 on the list.

Why is Flathead Lake So Clean?

Flathead Lake is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. There are nearly 185 miles of coastline and plenty of opportunities for recreation. According to a study from the University of Montana, here is why Flathead Lake is so clean.

Flathead Lake's high water quality results from its watershed being mainly National Park, Wilderness, and managed forest lands,. There's also a relatively low human population. The lake is also dominated by very old, low-nutrient geology and receives high amounts of precipitation (mostly as mountain snow); and rapid flushing of the Lake (about 2.2 years for all the water to be replaced). In contrast, Lake Tahoe's flushing time is about 650 years.

Flathead Lake is low in nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen which are known to promote the growth of algae.

Image courtesy of Getty Images, Kayla Goss
Image courtesy of Getty Images, Kayla Goss
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Lake George in New York was named the cleanest lake in America. To check out the full list, click here.

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