1
CMedicine Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota · 1.7 mi from Northwood Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++7.7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (74.2 vs 443 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Northwood Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Northwood Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Medicine Lake (Hennepin County, Grade C, 1.7 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
CSchmidt Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota · 2.2 mi from Northwood Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++5.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (51 vs 443 µg/L)
3
CBass Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota · 2.9 mi from Northwood Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++4.3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (31.5 vs 443 µg/L)
4
CCrystal Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota · 3.1 mi from Northwood Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++3 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (58 vs 443 µg/L)
5
DMeadow Lake
Hennepin County, Minnesota · 2.4 mi from Northwood Lake
- +Higher grade (F → D)
- ++3.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (78.5 vs 443 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.