Big Lake vs Rice Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Rice Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Stearns County, Minnesota.
Big Lake and Rice Lake are both in Minnesota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. Big Lake (C) is materially cleaner than Rice Lake (F). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Big Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Big Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft.
Rice Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Lake | Rice Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 6.9 ft | 3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 26.5 µg/L | 50 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 10.7 µg/L | 39.5 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 42 ft | 41 ft |
| Surface Area | 458 acres | 1,513 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 21 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Big Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Rice Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 6.9 ft vs 3 ft. For more fish-species variety, Rice Lake edges ahead with 21 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.