What is the cleanest lake near Lake of the Woods?

Blue Valley Lake in Jackson County holds a Grade C water quality score and is 5.9 miles from Lake of the Woods.

Why is Lake of the Woods not Grade A?

Lake of the Woods holds Grade F and 111 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 of the Woods in Wisconsin, with strictly higher numeric grade scores and sufficient monitoring data.

Cleaner Lakes Than Lake of the Woods, Top 5 Within 30 Miles, LakeQuality

Cleaner Lakes Than Lake of the Woods

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

Lake of the Woods carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Blue Valley Lake (Jackson County, Grade C, 5.9 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.

Blue Valley Lake

Jackson County, Wisconsin · 5.9 mi from Lake of the Woods

+Two grade letters higher (F → C)

Longview Lake by Dam

Jackson County, Wisconsin · 5.9 mi from Lake of the Woods

+Two grade letters higher (F → C)
+Lower phosphorus (23.5 vs 111 µg/L)

Longview L. Nr. Dam Lake

Jackson County, Wisconsin · 5.7 mi from Lake of the Woods

+Higher grade (F → D)
+Lower phosphorus (54 vs 111 µg/L)

Valley Lake

Jackson County, Wisconsin · 5.9 mi from Lake of the Woods

+Higher grade (F → D)
+Lower phosphorus (76.3 vs 111 µg/L)

Lake of the Woods-Kc

Jackson County, Wisconsin · 0 mi from Lake of the Woods

+Higher overall water quality score
+Lower phosphorus (94.5 vs 111 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.