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LakeQuality

Rice Lake vs Siseebakwet Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Siseebakwet Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Rice Lake (B, Good). Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.

Both Rice Lake and Siseebakwet 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 — Rice Lake (B) versus Siseebakwet Lake (A). 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.

B

Rice Lake

Itasca County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 13.8 ft.

A

Siseebakwet Lake

Itasca County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 19 ft down.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricRice LakeSiseebakwet Lake
Overall GradeB (Good)A (Excellent)
Water Clarity13.8 ft19 ft
PhosphorusNo data5 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth68 ft105 ft
Surface Area863.38 acres1.2K acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species11
Trophic Stateoligotrophicoligotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Siseebakwet Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Rice Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 19 ft vs 13.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Siseebakwet Lake also leads with 1 species.