1
CMcdonald Lake
Washington County, Minnesota · 3.8 mi from Pool of Lake St. Croix
- +Higher overall water quality score
- +Lower phosphorus (21 vs 39.2 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Pool of Lake St. Croix
1 higher-graded lake within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Pool of Lake St. Croix carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 1 lake holds a higher grade. Mcdonald Lake (Washington County, Grade C, 3.8 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
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.