Big Rice Lake vs Moose Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Moose Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Big Rice Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Both Big Rice Lake and Moose 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. Moose Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Big Rice Lake (C). 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 — Moose 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 Rice Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.7 ft.
Moose Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.1 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Rice Lake | Moose Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 5.7 ft | 15.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 26 µg/L | 11 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 11.4 µg/L | 2.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 13 ft | 71 ft |
| Surface Area | 642 acres | 601 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 | 12 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Moose Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Big Rice Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 15.1 ft vs 5.7 ft. For more fish-species variety, Big Rice Lake edges ahead with 14 documented species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.