1
ASt. Marys Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota · 5.5 mi from Elbow Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++13.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (7.5 vs 52.5 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Elbow Lake
3 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Elbow Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 3 lakes hold a higher grade. St. Marys Lake (St. Louis County, Grade A, 5.5 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
AEly Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota · 6.4 mi from Elbow Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++12.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (7 vs 52.5 µg/L)
3
CW Two Rivers Reservoir
St. Louis County, Minnesota · 3.3 mi from Elbow Lake
- +Higher overall water quality score
- ++2.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (28 vs 52.5 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.