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.
Rice Lake and Riley 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. Riley Lake (B) 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 — 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 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 ft | 12.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 348.4 µg/L | 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 | hypereutrophic | 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 ft. For fishing diversity, Riley Lake also leads with 1 species.