Iron
No
No
No
Fish and Aquatic Life
Overview
Rice Lake, in the Upper South Fork Flambeau River Watershed, is a 5.87 acre lake that falls in Iron County. This lake is managed for fishing and swimming and is currently not considered impaired.
Date 2011
Author Aquatic Biologist
Historical Description
Source:1970, Surface Water Resources of Iron County,WI:WI-DNR
Rice Lake, T41N, R3E, Section 26
Surface Acres = 15.3, S.D.F. = 1.64, Maximum Depth = 3 feet
A medium hard water drainage lake having slightly acid,
light brown water of low transparency. The inlet and outlet
streams do not afford any boating use and the outlet is tributary
to Springstead Creek and part of the South Fork of the Flambeau
River drainage (Price County). The entire littoral zone is
composed of muck. The entire shoreline is wetland of the meadow
and shrub type. The only fish known to inhabit this lake are
bullheads. Waterfowl utilize this lake on their spring and fall
migrations and for nesting. Muskrat use is significant as 50
houses have been observed. Floating vegetation is sparse;
however, wild rice is dense throughout the lake basin. The
lake's principal value is to waterfowl and furbearers. There are
two dwellings located on the upland lying about 300 to 500 feet
from the lake basin. There is no public access. From the
fishery point of view, the dense development of aquatic plants
could be considered a handicap; however, since the principal
value is for waterfowl and furbearers the aquatic vegetation
should be considered as an asset.
Date 1970
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
| Project Name (Click for Details) | Year Started |
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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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| 2265000 | Rice Lake | 10002819 | Rice Lake | 8/29/2000 | 9/26/2010 | Map | Data |
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Watershed Characteristics
Rice Lake is located in the Upper South Fork Flambeau River watershed which is 278.98 mi². Land use in the watershed is primarily forest (54.80%), wetland (38.80%) and a mix of open (4.60%) and other uses (1.70%). This watershed has 254.56 stream miles, 8,509.29 lake acres and 63,099.27 wetland acres.
Nonpoint Source Characteristics
This watershed is ranked Not Ranked for runoff impacts on streams, Low for runoff impacts on lakes and Low for runoff impacts on groundwater and therefore has an overall rank of Low. 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.