Pickerel Lake IA 04-RAC-1180

Buena Vista County S1T93NR35W 4 mi NE of Marathon.

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.
Trend: Unknown
Created: 8/14/2020 11:18:42 AM
Updated: 4/16/2021 12:43:47 PM

Use Support

Class A1

Recreation - Primary contact

Not Supported

Algal Growth: Chlorophyll a

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

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

Cause Magnitude

High

Status

Continuing

Source

Agriculture

Source Confidence

High

Cycle Added

2010

Impairment Rationale

Narrative criteria violation: aesthetically objectionable conditions

Data Source

Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-shallow lakes & wetlands

TMDL Priority

Tier IV

Turbidity: Siltation/Turbidity

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

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

Cause Magnitude

High

Status

Continuing

Source

Agriculture

Source Confidence

Moderate

Cycle Added

2010

Impairment Rationale

Single-sample maximum criterion exceeded in significantly > 10% of samples

Data Source

Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-shallow lakes & wetlands

TMDL Priority

Tier IV

Class BLW

Aquatic Life - Lakes and wetlands

Not Supported

Organic Enrichment: Low Dissolved Oxygen

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

5a - Pollutant-caused impairment. TMDL needed.

Cause Magnitude

Slight

Status

New

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

N/A

Cycle Added

2020

Impairment Rationale

Significantly > 10% of samples fail to meet criterion

Data Source

Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-shallow lakes & wetlands

TMDL Priority

Tier IV

Algal Growth: Chlorophyll a

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

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

Cause Magnitude

High

Status

Continuing

Source

Agriculture

Source Confidence

High

Cycle Added

2010

Impairment Rationale

Adverse impacts on plant/animal communities

Data Source

Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-shallow lakes & wetlands

TMDL Priority

Tier IV

Turbidity: Siltation/Turbidity

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

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

Cause Magnitude

High

Status

Continuing

Source

Agriculture

Source Confidence

High

Cycle Added

2010

Impairment Rationale

Adverse impacts on plant/animal communities

Data Source

Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-shallow lakes & wetlands

TMDL Priority

Tier IV

Class HH

Human Health -

Not Assessed

General Use

General Use water -

Not Assessed

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The Class A1 use are assessed as "not supported" due to high levels of algae that cause aesthetically objectionable conditions. The Class BLW use is assessed as "not supported" due to violations of the state criteria for Dissolved Oxygen and due to high levels of total suspended solids that leads to an impairment of the narrative criteria protecting against undesirable or nuisance aquatic life. High levels of algae at this wetland also suggest impairment. All other designated uses are “not assessed”.

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 2015-2018	22110004	Pickerel Lake

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
22110004	6	14 / 3	10	8.08	7.78	2	14%	NO	Monitored	Full

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
22110004	6	Chlorophyll a TSI	19 / 4	24	90	57	NO	Monitored	Full
22110004	6	Total Phosphorus TSI	19 / 4	61	98	89	NA	NA	NA
22110004	6	Inorganic suspended solids	19 / 4	0.06	449	3	NA	NA	NA

The TSI value for Secchi depth is not used to evaluate the attainment of aquatic life goals in shallow lakes. Due to the depth of these shallow lakes, TSI values for Secchi depth can be misleading. In some instances, the Secchi disk remains visible at the bottom of the lake and the depth of the lake is recorded as the Secchi depth. In these instances, water clarity may be sufficient to support the Class A1 uses, but the index value is limited by the depth of the lake. Thus the combination of total suspended solids and chlorophyll a will be used to determine whether or not the Class A1 uses are impaired in these shallow systems.
Based on DNR's methodology, the median TSI value for chlorophyll a must be 63 or less for two consecutive assessment/listing cycles before a lake can be removed from the state's Section 303(d) list (IR Category 5). Therefore, Pickerel Lake will remain listed as "partially supported" for the 2018 assessment/listing cycle.

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
22110004	6	Ammonia	14 / 3	0.3574	0.09	0.05	0 / 0	0% / 0%	NO	Monitored	Full
22110004	6	Dissolved oxygen	14 / 3	10.57	6.25	7.87	NA / 5	NA / 36%	YES	Monitored	Not
22110004	6	pH	14 / 3	10	8.08	7.78	2 / NA	14% / NA	NO	Monitored	Full
22110004	6	Temperature	14 / 3	27.8	21.9	23.1	0 / 0	0% / 0%	NO	Monitored	Full

Class BLW - Protection of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation:

Site ID	Data Source ID	Parameter Name	# Samples / # Years	Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Median Value	Median Value >= SAV	Assessment Type	Support Level
22110004	6	Total suspended solids	19 / 4	0.5	614.5	12	NO	Monitored	Full

Guidelines for wetland assessment from the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee’s Water Quality Technical Section (2003) state that an average total suspended solids concentration during the growing season of less than 30 mg/L is necessary to provide sufficient water clarity to support the growth of submersed aquatic vegetation in wetlands and shallow lakes. High levels of total suspended solids impede the growth of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV). Submersed aquatic vegetation is critical to the health of wetland and shallow lake ecosystems. The elimination of SAV can degrade habitat quality such that undesirable aquatic species such as cyanobacteria, common carp and fathead minnows dominate. As such, the suppression of SAV constitutes a violation of Iowa’s narrative water quality criteria protecting against undesirable or nuisance aquatic life.
According to DNR's methodology, a lake must meet water quality standards for two consecutive cycles to suggest de-listing. Therefore, Pickerel Lake will remain listed for the 2018 cycle as "not supporting" its Class B(LW) uses due to Turbidity: Siltation/Turbidity.

Class HH - No Data

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

5/19/2015

Fixed Monitoring Start Date

9/11/2018

Fixed Monitoring End Date

Methods

120

Surveys of fish and game biologists/other professionals

222

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

340

Primary producer surveys (phytoplankton/periphyton/macrophyton)