Rice Lake vs Riley Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Riley Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Rice Lake (F, Very Poor). Both are in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Both Rice Lake and Riley 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Riley Lake grades a B while Rice Lake grades a F. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Riley 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?
Rice Lake
Very murky, less than 2.3 ft of visibility.
Riley Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Rice Lake | Riley Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 2.3 ft | 12.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 314 acres | 296 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Riley Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Rice Lake's Grade F. Water clarity: 12.6 ft vs 2.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Riley Lake also leads with 1 species.