Big Rice Lake vs Kitchi West Arm Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Rice Lake and Kitchi West Arm Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Both Big Rice Lake and Kitchi West Arm Lake sit in Minnesota. 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Big Rice Lake (C) versus Kitchi West Arm Lake (C). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Big Rice Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.7 ft.
Kitchi West Arm Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Rice Lake | Kitchi West Arm Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 5.7 ft | 10.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 26 µg/L | 22.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 11.4 µg/L | 7.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 13 ft | 50 ft |
| Surface Area | 642 acres | 1,865 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 14 | 16 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Big Rice Lake: 5.7 ft, Kitchi West Arm Lake: 10.2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Big Rice Lake has fewer fish species than Kitchi West Arm Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.