Little Rice Lake
Beltrami County, Minnesota123 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Rice Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- zebra mussel
- 26 ft max depth
- Limited data
Little Rice Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 26 ft. Surface area: 123.08 acres.
Little Rice Lake is a 123-acre mesotrophic lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 26 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 7 documented fish species including black crappie, brown bullhead, and northern pike. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 84 other monitored lakes in Beltrami County, Little Rice Lake ranks #61 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-10-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Little Rice Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing7 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Little Rice Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Little Rice Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Little Rice Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft. Phosphorus 21 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.4 µg/L. TSI 49.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 21µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 7.4µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 49 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Little Rice Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Little Rice Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 68°F) and coldest in May (about 54°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (54°F) to its warmest (68°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 49 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Little Rice Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
26 ft
Surface area
123 acres
Shoreline
1.9 mi
Littoral zone
67%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Little Rice Lake
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.6 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.62 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Beltrami County
Frequently asked questions about Little Rice Lake
Where is Little Rice Lake?
- Little Rice Lake is a lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Little Rice Lake?
- Little Rice Lake in Beltrami County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 21 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.4 µg/L. Maximum depth: 26 ft. Surface area: 123.08 acres.
Is Little Rice Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Little Rice Lake?
- Little Rice Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in October, from 49 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Little Rice Lake?
- Little Rice Lake has a maximum depth of 26 feet. The lake covers 123.08 acres.
What fish are in Little Rice Lake?
- Fish species found in Little Rice Lake include black crappie, brown bullhead, northern pike, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Little Rice Lake is located in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Can I fish at Little Rice Lake?
- Public access to Little Rice Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Little Rice Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
24 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
LEECHLAK_WQX24 samples · 2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrate-Nitrite Nitrogen by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder