1
ABig Lake
Sherburne County, Minnesota · 7.5 mi from Upper Orono Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → A)
- ++10.5 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (10.5 vs 130.5 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Upper Orono Lake
4 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Upper Orono Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. Big Lake (Sherburne County, Grade A, 7.5 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
AMitchell Lake
Sherburne County, Minnesota · 7.8 mi from Upper Orono Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → A)
- ++7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (14.5 vs 130.5 µg/L)
3
BEast Twin Lake
Anoka County, Minnesota · 5.2 mi from Upper Orono Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → B)
- ++7.7 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (18.5 vs 130.5 µg/L)
4
CBirch Lake
Sherburne County, Minnesota · 5.4 mi from Upper Orono Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → C)
- ++2.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (21 vs 130.5 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.