West Jackson Creek IA 05-CHA-1333

mouth to trib S31T69NR21W Wayne Co.

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 2012 - 2014
Stream/River Water Quality Data	CY 2012 - 2014
Lake Water Quality Data	CY 2010 - 2014
Biological Sampling Data	CY 2010 - 2014*
Fish Kill Data	CY 2010 - 2014
Fish Tissue Sampling Data	CY 2010 - 2014
Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Sampling Data	CY 2010 - 2014
*Biological sites sampled in both 2009 and 2013 were also assessed.

Open Segment Map
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Cycle: 2016
Release Status: Final
Overall IR: 5 - Water is impaired or threatened and a TMDL is needed.
Trend: Unknown
Created: 9/21/2016 8:34:58 AM
Updated: 9/28/2016 1:49:23 PM

Use Support

Class A1

Presumptive Use

Recreation - Primary contact

Not Assessed

Class BWW2

Aquatic Life - Warm Water Type 2

Partially Supported

Biological: low fish & invert IBIs- cause unknown

Support Level

Partially Supported

Impairment Code

5b-t - Biological - tentative

Cause Magnitude

Slight

Status

Continuing

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

Low

Cycle Added

2004

Impairment Rationale

Low Biotic Index

Data Source

Biological monitoring: Iowa DNR WQMA

TMDL Priority

Tier IV

General Use

General Use water -

Not Assessed

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The presumptive Class A1 (primary contact recreation) uses remain "not assessed" (IR 3a) due to the lack of information upon which to base an assessment. The Class B(WW2) aquatic life uses are assessed (monitored) as “partially supporting” (IR 5b-t).

Assessment Explanation

This aquatic life assessment was based on 2010 and 2011 IDNR/SHL biological sampling data. A series of biological metrics which reflect stream water quality and habitat integrity were calculated from the biological sampling data. The biological metrics are based on the numbers and types of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa and fish species collected in the stream sampling reach. The biological metrics were combined to make a fish community index of biotic integrity (FIBI) and a benthic macroinvertebrate index (BMIBI). The indexes rank the biological integrity of a stream sampling reach on a rising scale from 0 (minimum) to 100 (maximum). The 2010 and 2011 FIBI scores were 32 and 39 (fair) and the BMIBI scores were 27 (poor) and 43 (fair). The aquatic life use support was assessed as partially supporting (=PS), based on a comparison of the FIBI and BMIBI scores with biological impairment criteria (BIC) established for previous Section 305(b) reports. The FIBI BIC for this ecoregion is 33 and the BMIBI BIC for this ecoregion is 41. This segment passed both the FIBI and BMIBI BICs 1/2 times in the last five years. The biological impairment criteria were determined from a statistical analysis of biological data collected at stream ecoregion reference sites from 1994-2008.

This assessment is considered "monitored" because there were two or more samples collected from this segment in multiple years. However, this segment should have been placed in Category 3b-c for the 2012 cycle because the data collected in 2010/2011 were inconclusive regarding the aquatic life support level in this segment. However, despite this change in assessment methodology and type, this waterbody remains in IR Category 5b-t and remains on Iowa’s 2010 Section 303(d) list of impaired waters. Additional monitoring is needed in this assessment segment to update status of its aquatic communities.

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

9/13/2010

Biological Monitoring

9/15/2011

Biological Monitoring

Methods

315

Regional reference site approach

320

Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys

330

Fish surveys

380

Quantitative physical habitat assessment