Badger Creek Lake IA 04-LDM-1100

Madison County S11T77NR27W 9 mi. E of Earlham.

Open Data Collection Period Modal

For purposes of developing stream/river water quality assessments for integrated reporting, three years of water quality data are typically used for both conventional pollutant parameters (e.g., indicator bacteria) and the less frequently monitored toxic parameters (e.g., toxic metals). Since the 2004 IR cycle, DNR has used a three-year data gathering period for streams, rivers, and beaches. For most assessments, the use of three years of data increases the number of samples upon which the decision on use support is based and helps address the problem of weather-related year-to-year fluctuations in water quality.

Due to the lower sampling frequency in Iowa’s ambient lake, biological, fish kill, and fish tissue monitoring programs, five years of data are used for developing IR assessments and for identifying Section 303(d) listings.

Data Type	Data Timeframe
Beach Sampling Data	CY 2016 - 2018
Stream/River Water Quality Data	CY 2016 - 2018
Lake Water Quality Data	CY 2014 - 2018
Biological Sampling Data	CY 2014 - 2018*
Fish Kill Data	CY 2014 - 2018
Fish Tissue Sampling Data	CY 2014 - 2018
Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Sampling Data	CY 2014 - 2018
*Biological sites sampled in both 2013 and 2017 were also assessed.

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Cycle: 2020
Release Status: Final
Overall IR: 5 - Water is impaired or threatened and a TMDL is needed.
Trophic: Hypereutrophic
Trend: Stable
Created: 8/13/2020 9:20:27 AM
Updated: 10/14/2020 11:44:52 AM

Use Support

Class A1

Recreation - Primary contact

Not Supported

Algal Growth: Chlorophyll a

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

4a - Pollutant-caused impairment. TMDL has been completed.

Cause Magnitude

Moderate

Status

Continuing

Source

Agriculture

Source Confidence

Moderate

Cycle Added

2002

Impairment Rationale

Narrative criteria violation: aesthetically objectionable conditions

Data Source

Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-lakes

Turbidity: Secchi Disk Transparency

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

4a - Pollutant-caused impairment. TMDL has been completed.

Cause Magnitude

Moderate

Status

Continuing

Source

Other: Sediment Resuspension

Source Confidence

Low

Cycle Added

2002

Impairment Rationale

Narrative criteria violation: aesthetically objectionable conditions

Data Source

Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-lakes

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

5* - 303(d)-impaired last cycle; fully supporting this cycle; potential de-listing.

Cause Magnitude

Slight

Status

Continuing

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

N/A

Cycle Added

2018

Impairment Rationale

Significantly > 10% of samples fail to meet criterion

Data Source

Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-lakes

TMDL Priority

Tier I

Class BLW

Aquatic Life - Lakes and wetlands

Not Supported

Fish Kill: Due To Natural Causes

Support Level

Further Investigation Needed

Impairment Code

3b - Use potentially impaired based on an evaluated assessment.

Cause Magnitude

High

Status

Continuing

Source

Natural

Source Confidence

High

Cycle Added

2008

Impairment Rationale

Non Pollutant-caused fish kill

Data Source

Fish kill investigation: Iowa DNR

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

5* - 303(d)-impaired last cycle; fully supporting this cycle; potential de-listing.

Cause Magnitude

Slight

Status

Continuing

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

N/A

Cycle Added

2018

Impairment Rationale

Significantly > 10% of samples fail to meet criterion

Data Source

Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-lakes

TMDL Priority

Tier I

Class HH

Human Health -

Fully Supported

General Use

General Use water -

Not Assessed

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The Class A1 uses are assessed (monitored) as “not supported” due to poor water transparency, algal blooms that violate the state’s narrative criteria protecting against aesthetically objectionable conditions, and due to frequent violations of the state criterion for pH. The Class BLW uses are assessed (monitored) as “not supported" due to frequent violations of the state criterion for pH and based on the results of a fish kill investigation and information from the IDNR Fisheries Bureau. The Class HH uses were assessed (monitored) as “fully supported”. Note: A TMDL for siltation and nutrients, covering algal growth (including nuisance growth of cyanobacteria), at Badger Creek Lake was prepared by DNR and approved by EPA in 2003. Because the Section 303(d) impairment due to pH was not addressed in the TMDL, this waterbody was will remain in Category 5a (impaired; TMDL required) for this assessment/listing cycles.

Assessment Explanation

Sources of Data:

Data Source	Data Source ID	Data Type	Data Age	Site ID	Site Name	Site Description
Iowa DNR	6	WQ	CY 2014-2018	22610004	Badger Creek Max Depth	Lake Deep Point
Iowa DNR	6	WQ	CY 2016-2018	14000187	Badger Creek Lake 1.5	TMDL Sampling Site
Iowa DNR	6	WQ	CY 2014-2018	11610009	Badger Creek Lake - lake inlet at Quail Ridge (12)	TMDL Sampling Site

Class A1 - Indicator Bacteria: No Data

Class A1 - pH:

Site ID	Data Source ID	# Samples / # Years	Maximum Value	Mean Value	Median Value	# Violations	% Violations	Significantly >10% Violations	Assessment Type	Support Level
22610004	6	15 / 5	9.5	8.7	8.8	3	20%	NO	Monitored	Full

According to DNR's methodology, a lake must meet water quality standards for two consecutive cycles to suggest de-listing. Therefore, Badger Creek Lake will remain listed for the 2020 cycle as "not supported" its Class A1 uses due to pH.

Class A1 - Lake TSI's

Site ID	Data Source ID	Parameter Name	# Samples / # Years	Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Median Value	Median TSI Violation	Assessment Type	Support Level
14000187	6	Chlorophyll a TSI	18 / 3	44	86	74	YES	Monitored	Not
22610004	6	Chlorophyll a TSI	33 / 5	37	85	70	YES	Monitored	Not
22610004	6	Secchi TSI	15 / 5	46	83	67	YES	Monitored	Not
11610009	6	Total Phosphorus TSI	27 / 5	63	98	84	NA	NA	NA
14000187	6	Total Phosphorus TSI	17 / 3	57	91	82	NA	NA	NA
22610004	6	Total Phosphorus TSI	32 / 5	57	92	81	NA	NA	NA
22610004	6	Inorganic suspended solids	15 / 5	0.3	30	3.5	NA	NA	NA

Class BLW - Conventional Parameters:

Site ID	Data Source ID	Parameter Name	# Samples / # Years	Maximum Value	Mean Value	Median Value	# Acute / Chronic Violations	% Acute/ Chronic Violations	Significantly >10% Violations	Assessment Type	Support Level
22610004	6	Ammonia	15 / 5	0.324	0.1	0.02	0 / 0	0% / 0%	NO	Monitored	Full
22610004	6	Dissolved oxygen	15 / 5	16.7	11.5	10.3	NA / 1	NA / 7%	NO	Monitored	Full
22610004	6	pH	15 / 5	9.5	8.7	8.8	3 / NA	20% / NA	NO	Monitored	Full
22610004	6	Temperature	15 / 5	31.2	24.2	25.3	0 / 0	0% / 0%	NO	Monitored	Full

According to DNR's methodology, a lake must meet water quality standards for two consecutive cycles to suggest de-listing. Therefore, Badger Creek Lake will remain listed for the 2020 cycle as "not supported" its Class BLW uses due to pH.

Class BLW - Lake Planktonic Cyanobacteria:

Site ID	Data Source ID	# Samples	Maximum Cyanobacteria Wet Mass	Maximum Cyanobacteria % Composition	Median Cyanobacteria Wet Mass	Median Cyanobacteria % Composition	Median Cyanobacteria Wet Mass = 75th Percentile	Assessment Type	Support Level
22610004	6	9	83.927	96.9 %	21.082	42.7 %	NO	Evaluated	NA

Class BLW - Fish Kill:

The Class BLW uses are assessed (evaluated) as “partially supported” due to fish kills that occurred in March of 2011. Because the cause of the fish kill was not identified, or the fish kill was attributed to a non-pollutant cause (e.g., winterkill), the assessment type is “evaluated.” Segments assessed using “evaluated” assessments are placed in Category 3b and are added to the state list of waters in need of further investigation. If no additional fish kills are reported in the segment for a 10 year period, the Category will be changed from 3b to 3a (water not assessed).

Details about the 2011 fish kill can be found here:https://programs.iowadnr.gov/fishkill/Events/846

Class HH - Fish Tissue Sampling:

Site ID

Date

Species Name

Biopart

# in sample

chlordane result

chlordane violation?

PCBs result

PCBs violation?

Hg result

Hg violation?

Assessment Type

Support Level

187

9/29/11

black bullhead

fillet

<0.03

<0.09

0.0315

Evaluated

Full

187

9/29/11

largemouth bass

plug

0.124

Evaluated

Full

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

5/27/2014

Fixed Monitoring Start Date

10/29/2018

Fixed Monitoring End Date

3/21/2011

Fish Kill

9/29/2011

Fish Tissue Monitoring

1/30/2003

TMDL Completed

Methods

120

Surveys of fish and game biologists/other professionals

140

Incidence of spills and/or fish kills

222

Non-fixed-station monitoring (conventional during key seasons and flows)

260

Fish tissue analysis

340

Primary producer surveys (phytoplankton/periphyton/macrophyton)