What is the cleanest lake near Lake Arrowhead?

Watkins Mill Lake in Clay County holds a Grade D water quality score and is 6.8 miles from Lake Arrowhead.

Why is Lake Arrowhead not Grade A?

Lake Arrowhead holds Grade D, with about 2 ft of water clarity and 68.2 µg/L of phosphorus. The grade reflects measured water quality against Metropolitan Council thresholds. Cleaner alternatives nearby score higher on clarity, phosphorus, or chlorophyll-a.

Are these recommendations based on real data?

Yes. Every grade is calculated from EPA Water Quality Portal samples for the lake. Recommendations are limited to lakes within 30 miles of Lake Arrowhead in Wisconsin, with strictly higher numeric grade scores and sufficient monitoring data.

Cleaner Lakes Than Lake Arrowhead, Top 5 Within 30 Miles, LakeQuality

Cleaner Lakes Than Lake Arrowhead

5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.

Lake Arrowhead carries a Grade D (Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Watkins Mill Lake (Clay County, Grade D, 6.8 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.

Watkins Mill Lake

Clay County, Wisconsin · 6.8 mi from Lake Arrowhead

+Higher overall water quality score
++1.2 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (41 vs 68.2 µg/L)

Smithville Lake

Clay County, Wisconsin · 12.1 mi from Lake Arrowhead

+Higher overall water quality score
+Lower phosphorus (34 vs 68.2 µg/L)

Smithville Lake

Clay County, Wisconsin · 12.2 mi from Lake Arrowhead

+Higher overall water quality score
+Lower phosphorus (48.8 vs 68.2 µg/L)

Smithville Lake by Dam

Clay County, Wisconsin · 14.1 mi from Lake Arrowhead

+Higher overall water quality score
++1.3 ft water clarity
+Lower phosphorus (37 vs 68.2 µg/L)

Pony Express Lake

DeKalb County, Wisconsin · 22.3 mi from Lake Arrowhead

+Higher overall water quality score
+Lower phosphorus (53.2 vs 68.2 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.