Grant
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Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Rice Lake is a large oxbow lake of the Wisconsin River located northeast of the Village of Blue River that covers approximately 56 acres. Despite its large area, the maximum depth of Rice Lake is only about 5 feet. Northern pike, large and smallmouth bass and panfish are the dominant fish present in the lake, although carp can also be found in abundance. Winterkill on the lake is an annual problem. Public access is available to the lake at the Blue River Public Hunting and Fishing Grounds.
Date 2010
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
Source:1972, Surface Water Resources of Grant County,WI:WI-DNR "Rice Lake": T8N, R1W, Sec. 5
A fairly large and shallow oxbow lake adjoining "Poffenrath Slough" two miles northeast of Blue River. This area is sometimes divided into two names by local people, "Mud Slough" and "Goose Lake". When the water is extremely low it is difficult to distinguish between the boundaries of the lake and the surrounding 232 acres of deep marsh wetland. Seepage is the major source of water. Winterkill is an annual problem in the very shallow areas. Northern pike, large- and smallmouth bass, and panfish comprise a limited sport fishery. Carp usually keep the water quite turbid in same areas of the lake but do not constitute a major management problem. Muskrat and beaver are very active in this area. Puddle ducks are usually quite numerous and duck hunting is a popular sport here, as shown by several duck blinds on the lake. Whitetail deer are also common nearby. The Blue River Public Hunting and Fishing Grounds provide 1.5 miles of public frontage and a gravel road terminates on the northwestern end of the lake.
Surface area = 56.0 acres, S.D.F. = 2.98, maximum depth = 5 feet
Date 1972
Author Surface Water Inventory Of Wisconsin
Condition
Wisconsin has over 84,000 miles of streams, 15,000 lakes and milllions of acres of wetlands. Assessing the condition of this vast amount of water is challenging. The state's water monitoring program uses a media-based, cross-program approach to analyze water condition. An updated monitoring strategy (2015-2020) is now available. Compliance with Clean Water Act fishable, swimmable standards are located in the Executive Summary of Water Condition in 2018. See also the 'monitoring and projects' tab.
Management Goals
Wisconsin's Water Quality Standards provide qualitative and quantitative goals for waters that are protective of Fishable, Swimmable conditions [Learn more]. Waters that do not meet water quality standards are considered impaired and restoration actions are planned and carried out until the water is once again fishable and swimmable
Management goals can include creation or implementation of a Total Maximum Daily Load analysis, a Nine Key Element Plan, or other restoration work, education and outreach and more. If specific recommendations exist for this water, they will be displayed below online.
Monitoring
Monitoring the condition of a river, stream, or lake includes gathering physical, chemical, biological, and habitat data. Comprehensive studies often gather all these parameters in great detail, while lighter assessment events will involve sampling physical, chemical and biological data such as macroinvertebrates. Aquatic macroinvertebrates and fish communities integrate watershed or catchment condition, providing great insight into overall ecosystem health. Chemical and habitat parameters tell researchers more about human induced problems including contaminated runoff, point source dischargers, or habitat issues that foster or limit the potential of aquatic communities to thrive in a given area. Wisconsin's Water Monitoring Strategy was recenty updated.
Grants and Management Projects
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Monitoring Projects
| WBIC | Official Waterbody Name | Station ID | Station Name | Earliest Fieldwork Date | Latest Fieldwork Date | View Station | View Data |
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| 1214500 | Rice Lake | 10002684 | Rice Lake | 7/27/1999 | 9/26/2010 | Map | Data |
| 1214500 | Rice Lake | 10017801 | Wisconsin River -- Rice Lakes | 6/18/2012 | 6/18/2012 | Map | Data |
| 1214500 | Rice Lake | 10058880 | Rice Lake (WBIC 1214500) | 5/23/2024 | 9/24/2024 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Rice Lake is located in the Blue River watershed which is 216.19 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (41.60%), grassland (29.40%) and a mix of agricultural (20.80%) and other uses (8.20%). This watershed has 513.46 stream miles, 416.83 lake acres and 5,825.06 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked High for runoff impacts on streams, Not Ranked for runoff impacts on lakes and High for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of High. This value can be used in ranking the watershed or individual waterbodies for grant funding under state and county programs.However, all waters are affected by diffuse pollutant sources regardless of initial water quality. Applications for specific runoff projects under state or county grant programs may be pursued. For more information, go to surface water program grants.