1
BLake Marie
Mercer County, Wisconsin · 29.3 mi from Elmwood Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → B)
- ++5.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (13 vs 70.8 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Elmwood Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Elmwood Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Lake Marie (Mercer County, Grade B, 29.3 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
BForest Lake
Adair County, Wisconsin · 24.6 mi from Elmwood Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → B)
- ++1.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (18 vs 70.8 µg/L)
3
BMilan Lake North
Sullivan County, Wisconsin · 1.8 mi from Elmwood Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → B)
- +Lower phosphorus (51.8 vs 70.8 µg/L)
4
CHazel Creek Lk. Lake
Adair County, Wisconsin · 26.3 mi from Elmwood Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- +Lower phosphorus (24.5 vs 70.8 µg/L)
5
CForest Lake Se Branch
Adair County, Wisconsin · 25.6 mi from Elmwood Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- +Lower phosphorus (25 vs 70.8 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.