Lower Rice Lake
Clearwater County, MinnesotaView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Lower Rice Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 55 ft max depth
- Limited data
Lower Rice Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 38 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2 µg/L.
Lower Rice Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota with an estimated average depth of about 55 feet. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 36 other monitored lakes in Clearwater County, Lower Rice Lake ranks #35 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2023-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
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 Lower 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 Lower Rice Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Lower Rice Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 38 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 2 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | No reading How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. | |
| Total phosphorus | 38µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 2µg/L | Measured, not scored The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Lower Rice Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~55 ft est.
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Minnesota has not published bathymetry for Lower Rice Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
176 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
1,809 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
10.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,437 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
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Fishing Lower Rice Lake
Nearby Lakes in Clearwater County
Frequently asked questions about Lower Rice Lake
Where is Lower Rice Lake?
- Lower Rice Lake is a lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lower Rice Lake?
- Lower Rice Lake in Clearwater County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 38 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 2 µg/L.
Is Lower Rice Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Lower Rice Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Lower Rice Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 55 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Can I fish at Lower Rice Lake?
- Public access to Lower 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.
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Where this data comes from
10 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, Minnesota (White Earth Band) (Tribal)
WEARTH_WQX10 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Turbidity by Nephelometry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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 size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder