Rice Lake vs Whitewater Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Whitewater Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Rice Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Walworth County, Wisconsin.
Both Rice Lake and Whitewater Lake sit in Wisconsin. 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 close: Rice Lake (D) and Whitewater Lake (C) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Rice Lake
Very murky, less than 1.5 ft of visibility.
Whitewater Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Rice Lake | Whitewater Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 1.5 ft | 4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 57.2 µg/L | 26.2 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 137 acres | 640 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Whitewater Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Rice Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 4 ft vs 1.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Whitewater Lake also leads with 0 species.