Lower Rice Lake

Lower Rice Lake earns a C — middle-of-the-pack water quality, with one or two parameters dragging the average down from a stronger grade.

At a TSI of 57, Lower Rice Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. The lake's maximum depth is not yet documented in state morphometric records — context for its physical structure remains limited. The lake's surface area is not consistently recorded across state datasets — physical context remains partial. Lower Rice Lake ranks 38 of 40 in Clearwater County — at the lower end of the locally monitored distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Lower Rice Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Lower Rice Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.