2024 305(b) Assessment Summary
DRAFT 2024 Impaired Waters List: request for public comments:
Iowa DNR has prepared a draft 2024 list of impaired waters as required by Section 303(d) of the federal Clean Water Act. This list is also known as "Category 5" of Iowa's 2024 Integrated Report. Iowa DNR is now seeking public comments on this draft list. Public comments will be solicited from March 14, 2024 through April 12, 2024. Following the end of the public comment period, the draft list may be modified based on the comments received and the revised list will be forwarded to U.S. EPA for their review and approval or disapproval. Please mail comments to:
Comments can also be e-mailed to the following address: IRcomment@dnr.iowa.gov
Materials for review
Iowa's draft 2024 list of Section 303(d) impaired waters (Category 5 of the Integrated Report). The list contains 576 waterbodies with a total of 743 impairments. There were 597 waterbodies with 786 impairments on Iowa's 2022 final EPA-approved list. The 2024 IR Methodology and links to additional materials for review can be found on the Publications page.
Background
Iowa's Section 303(d) lists and Integrated Reports are prepared according to Iowa DNR's assessment and listing methodology and follow U.S. EPA guidelines for "integrated reporting" that combine requirements of Sections 305(b), 303(d), and 314 of the federal Clean Water Act. These U.S. EPA guidelines suggest that states place all their waters into one of the following categories that comprise a state's Integrated Report:
- Supporting: These waterbodies are assessed as fully supporting their assessed designated uses*. Waters assessed as supporting all their designated uses are in Category 1 of the Integrated Report. Those waters where some of the designated uses are met but insufficient information exists to determine whether the remaining uses are met are placed in Category 2 of the Integrated Report.
- Uses Not Assessed: These are designated uses for which insufficient information exists to determine whether that designated use is met. Other designated uses for that waterbody, however, may have been assessed as either "supporting" or "impaired".
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Waterbodies Not Assessed: Insufficient information exists to determine whether any beneficial uses designated for that waterbody are met. These waterbodies are placed into Category 3 of the Integrated Report.
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Category 4: The waterbody is impaired but a TMDL is not required; the waterbody is not included on the state's section 303(d) list of impaired waters (Category 5 of the Integrated Report).
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Category 5: The states Section 303(d) list of impaired waters. The waterbody is impaired and a total maximum daily load (TMDL) is needed.
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WINOFI: As provided for in Iowa's credible data law, the Department is to maintain a separate list of waters that require further investigative monitoring. As specified in the credible data law, this list is not part of the Section 303(d)/impaired waters process in Iowa and includes waterbodies where limited information suggests, but does not conclusively (credibly) demonstrate, a water quality impairment. If the results of further investigative monitoring demonstrate, with data of sufficient quality and quantity, that a water quality impairment exists, the affected waterbody can be added to Iowa's Section 303(d) list.
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Delistings: These waters are proposed for removal from Iowa's previous (2022) list of impaired waters. A rationale for each proposed delisting is provided.
[*Designated uses are beneficial uses applied to specific Iowa surface waters (streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands) in the Iowa Water Quality Standards. Examples of beneficial uses are uses for primary contact recreation (for example, swimming-type uses), aquatic life protection, and as a source of water for a public water supply. Beneficial uses designated for Iowa's surface waters are protected by narrative and numeric water quality criteria. For a more detailed description of designated uses applied to Iowa surface waters, see pages 9 and 10 [Surface Water Quality Criteria, Designated Use Segments] of the Iowa Water Quality Standards. For a list of the Iowa surface waters and their respective designated uses, see Iowa's Surface Water Classification.]
Assessment Results
Healthy waters are those segments in Integrated Report Categories 1 and 2.
- Category 1: All designated uses are met
- Category 2: One or more designated uses are met, but there are insufficient data to determine if the remaining designated uses are met.
As provided for in Iowa's Credible Data Law, the Department is to maintain a separate list of waters that require further investigative monitoring. This list is not part of the Section 303(d)/impaired waters process in Iowa and includes segments where limited information suggests, but does not conclusively (credibly) demonstrate, a water quality impairment. If the results of further investigative monitoring demonstrate, with data of sufficient quality and quantity, that a water quality impairment exists, the affected segment can be added to Iowa's Section 303(d) list.
Impaired waters are those segments in Integrated Report Categories 4 and 5.
- Category 4: The segment is impaired but a TMDL is not required; the segment is not included on the state's section 303(d) list of impaired waters (Category 5 of the Integrated Report).
- Category 5: Iowa's Section 303(d) List of Impaired Waters. The segment is impaired and a total maximum daily load (TMDL) is needed.
The number of assessments the Iowa DNR can make in a given cycle are limited by budgets and staffing resources.
- Category 3: Insufficient data to determine whether any designated uses are met.
Rivers and Streams
Lakes and Reservoirs
Wetlands
Summary Statistics
Category 5 Impaired Waters List
Overall Integrated Report Categories
| Category - Description | Waterbody Segments |
|---|---|
| 1 - All designated uses are met. | 24 |
| 2 - Some of the designated uses are met but there is insufficient data to determine if remaining designated uses are met. | 361 |
3 - Insufficient data exist to determine whether any designated uses are met.
EPA Category 3 and WINOFIsIowa maintains a separate list, per the Credible Data Law, of segments with insufficient information (WINOFI). Because these segments do not have enough information to determine use support, EPA considers these "Not Assessed". Therefore, for the purpose of reporting the Integrated Report to EPA, these WINOFI segments are grouped into the EPA's Category 3. For this cycle, there are a total of 320 WINOFI segments and 1326 "Not Assessed" segments. |
1647 |
| 4 - Water is impaired or threatened and a TMDL has been completed or is not needed. | 144 |
| 5 - Water is impaired or threatened and a TMDL is needed. | 579 |