1
ARuth Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota · 1.2 mi from Emily Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++13 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (11.5 vs 53 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Emily Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Emily Lake carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Ruth Lake (Crow Wing County, Grade A, 1.2 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
AButterfield Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota · 3.8 mi from Emily Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → A)
- ++10.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15 vs 53 µg/L)
3
BDahler Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota · 1.1 mi from Emily Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++1.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (16 vs 53 µg/L)
4
BIsland Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota · 3.9 mi from Emily Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (D → B)
- ++3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15.5 vs 53 µg/L)
5
CMary Lake
Crow Wing County, Minnesota · 1.3 mi from Emily Lake
- +Higher grade (D → C)
- ++1.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (21 vs 53 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.