The lake is two feet low
Rice Lake, Maple Grove, Minnesota. 330 acres in the Elm Creek Watershed.
Most boats have come off the lake and the creek. The board is working with the City of Maple Grove on the low water, and the dam has run under constraints since it was damaged in 2021.
Last confirmed August 31, 2026.
The year so far
A lake association's year runs on the freeze and the thaw. This is where 2026 has got to.
- March 29Ice out
- April 1Dam closed to refill
- May 5Annual meeting
- May 9Buoys deployed
- June 29Dues collected
- August 31Low water, boats off
- DecemberAeration starts
Conditions
- Winter aeration
- Off since March 29. It restarts when the ice is thick enough to work on.
- Ice
- Out on March 29. The association has kept ice dates since 1988.
- Buoys
- In the water since May 9. See where they sit this season.
- 2026 dues
- Open. $25 to $100, depending on your property.
Updates
What has happened on the lake, newest first. Narrow it to what you care about; the full record back to 2024 sits in the archive.
Lake levels are very low (2'+ below normal) and most boats have been removed from the lake/creek. Your RLAA Board of Directors has been actively working with the City of Maple Grove to address this low water issue.
Summer communication sent out to RLAA members yesterday. Please check your e-mail for updates on: Lake Levels, Dam info , Blue-Green Algae testing and Board Member update.
Thank you to those who have paid their 2026 RLAA Annual dues! ( Click here for details )
Carp baiting supplies delivered for planned Box netting project in July. Stay tuned for details.
AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) Plant Survey completed by FSS indicating the 2025-2026 drawdown was successful in reducing both Curlyleaf Pondweed (CLP) and Eurasian Watermilfoil (EWM) in depths under 5' in the lake. Click here for report details .
Navigational buoys were deployed on the lake and creek today by your crack RLAA volunteers. Click here for details on the locations.
RLAA Annual Meeting conducted at the Cambria Suites hotel in Maple Grove. Click here for the meeting presentation.
Most of the Thin ice signs (12 of 15) have been recovered from the lake, thanks to our President in his kayak/canoe.
Lake level is back to normal at this time with water trickling over the top of the dam. ( Click here )
RLAA Annual meeting will be held on May 5th. Please e-mail us at ricelakeassoc@comcast.net to RSVP or learn more.
Dam bypass closed so lake can fill up again.
Ice is officially out on the lake/creek as of today! The winter aeration system was turned off for the season. Stay tuned for details when the city begins to close the dam to refill the lake.
The recent warm spell has opened up more area on the lake, particularly around the winter aeration area in the NW corner of the lake. As the Thin Ice signs begin to get swallowed up by the melt, they will be drifting ashore. Please feel free to contact us at ricelakeassoc@comcast.net if you locate any of these signs. Thank you!
As the water level continues to climb, the damaged bypass at the dam is trying to do the best it can! The City has reassured us that the dam will not be closed until all of the ice is out.
Lend a hand
The association runs on volunteers. Buoys get deployed, thin-ice signs get posted and recovered, buckthorn gets pulled, and someone drives the drawdown paperwork through three levels of government.
Join or renew
Dues run $25 to $100 a year, depending on whether you own waterfront, have a view, or simply want the lake looked after.
Report a problem
A missing buoy, a tree down in the creek, an algae bloom, a thin-ice sign washed ashore. Tell the board.
Read the science
Fish surveys, invasive plant delineations, drawdown permits and water quality monitoring going back two decades.
Follow the aeration
Eleven winters of keeping a hole open in the ice so the fish make it to spring.