1
BScandinavian Lake
Pope County, Minnesota · 2.8 mi from Malmedal Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → B)
- ++6.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (17 vs 223 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Malmedal Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Malmedal Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Scandinavian Lake (Pope County, Grade B, 2.8 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
BMinnewaska Lake
Pope County, Minnesota · 5.8 mi from Malmedal Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → B)
- ++10.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (23.5 vs 223 µg/L)
3
BPocket Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota · 8.7 mi from Malmedal Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → B)
- ++8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (24 vs 223 µg/L)
4
CReno Lake
Pope County, Minnesota · 8.1 mi from Malmedal Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++5.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (33 vs 223 µg/L)
5
CPelican Lake
Pope County, Minnesota · 4.2 mi from Malmedal Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (49 vs 223 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.