Beaver Dam Lake vs Rice Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Beaver Dam Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Rice Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Barron County, Wisconsin.
Both Beaver Dam Lake and Rice Lake sit in Wisconsin. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are close: Beaver Dam Lake (B) and Rice Lake (C) are within one letter of each other on our A–F scale. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Beaver Dam Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Rice Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Beaver Dam Lake | Rice Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) Better | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 11 ft Better | 4.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 12.9 µg/L Better | 31.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 106 ft Better | 19 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,163 acres | 859 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 Better | 5 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Beaver Dam Lake or Rice Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Beaver Dam Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Rice Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 11 ft vs 4.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Beaver Dam Lake also leads with 6 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.