1
ACowdry Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota · 1.9 mi from Winona Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → A)
- ++15 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15 vs 93 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Winona Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Winona Lake carries a Grade F (Very Poor) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Cowdry Lake (Douglas County, Grade A, 1.9 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ALatoka Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota · 1.9 mi from Winona Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → A)
- ++17 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (11 vs 93 µg/L)
3
ALottie Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota · 2.1 mi from Winona Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → A)
- ++14.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15.5 vs 93 µg/L)
4
AStoney Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota · 2.3 mi from Winona Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → A)
- ++17 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (13 vs 93 µg/L)
5
BVictoria Lake
Douglas County, Minnesota · 2.6 mi from Winona Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (F → B)
- ++9.2 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (20 vs 93 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.