Willow Lake IA 06-BOY-1612

Harrison County S6T80NR42W 5 mi. NW of Woodbine.

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 2018 - 2020
Stream/River Water Quality Data	CY 2018 - 2020
Lake Water Quality Data	CY 2016 - 2020
Biological Sampling Data	CY 2016 - 2020*
Fish Kill Data	CY 2016 - 2020
Fish Tissue Sampling Data	CY 2016 - 2020
Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Sampling Data	CY 2016 - 2020
*Biological sites sampled in both 2015 and 2019 were also assessed.

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Cycle: 2022
Release Status: Final
Overall IR: 2 - Some of the designated uses are met but there is insufficient data to determine if remaining designated uses are met.
Trophic: Mesotrophic
Trend: Improving
Trend Comment: Both the Secchi and chlorophyll a TSI values continue to improve over the last several assessment/listing cycles. Secchi TSI values (water clarity) decreased from 50 (2012) to 42 (2020) and chlorophyll a TSI decreased from 46 (2012) to 41 (2020). This decrease in values suggests an improvement in water quality.
Created: 1/4/2022 7:46:12 AM
Updated: 2/2/2022 2:44:24 PM

Use Support

Class A1

Recreation - Primary contact

Fully Supported

Class BLW

Aquatic Life - Lakes and wetlands

WINOFI

Exotic/Invasive Species: Exotic Species

Support Level

Further Investigation Needed

Impairment Code

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

Cause Magnitude

Slight

Status

Continuing

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

Low

Cycle Added

2016

Impairment Rationale

Adverse impacts on plant/animal communities

Data Source

Biological monitoring: Iowa DNR Fisheries

Class HH

Human Health -

Not Assessed

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The Class A1 use was assessed (monitored) as "fully supported." The Class BLW use was assessed (evaluated) as “WINOFI” due to aquatic invasive species. All other designated uses were “not assessed."

Assessment Explanation

Data Sources:

Data Source	Data Source ID	Data Type	Data Age	Site ID	Site Name	Site Description
Iowa DNR	6	WQ	CY 2016-2019	22430002	Willow Lake

Class A1 - Indicator Bacteria:

Site ID

Data Source ID

# Samples per Year (2018/ 2019/2020)

2018 Geometric Mean

2019 Geometric Mean

2020 Geometric Mean

Violates Annual Geometric Mean?

# 2018 SSM violations / SSM Violations needed for impairment

# 2019 SSM violations / SSM Violations needed for impairment

# 2020 SSM violations / SSM Violations needed for impairment

Violates Annual SSM Significantly >10% Rule?

Assessment Type

Support Level

22430002

3/3/0

0 / NA

Evaluated

Full

Class A1 - pH

Site ID	Data Source ID	# Samples / # Years	Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Mean Value	# Violations	Violations needed for impairment	Violates Significantly >10% Rule?	Assessment Type	Support Level
22430002	6	12 / 4	7.8	8.4	8.2	0	4	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
22430002	6	Chlorophyll a TSI	12 / 4	26	53	36	NO	Monitored	Full
22430002	6	Secchi TSI	12 / 4	38	59	46	NO	Monitored	Full
22430002	6	Total Phosphorus TSI	12 / 4	33	58	52	NA	NA	NA
22430002	6	Inorganic suspended solids	12 / 4	0.3	6	0.6	NA	NA	NA

Class BLW - Conventional Parameters:

Site ID	Data Source ID	Parameter Name	# Samples / # Years	Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Mean Value	# Violations	# Acute / Chronic Violations	Violations needed for impairment	Violates Significantly >10% Rule?	Assessment Type	Support Level
22430002	6	Ammonia	12 / 4	0.0003	0.327	0.09	NA	0 / 0	4	NO	Monitored	Full
22430002	6	Dissolved Oxygen	12 / 4	6.1	12.2	8.2	0	NA / NA	4	NO	Monitored	Full
22430002	6	pH	12 / 4	7.8	8.4	8.2	0	NA / NA	4	NO	Monitored	Full
22430002	6	Temperature	12 / 4	17	27.9	23.7	0	NA / NA	4	NO	Monitored	Full

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 Concentration = 75th Percentile	Assessment Type	Support Level
22430002	6	5	0.02	0.3%	0.00	0.0%	NO	Evaluated	NA

Class BLW - Additional Information:

The Class BLW use was assessed (evaluated) as “WINOFI” due to aquatic invasive species based on information from the DNR Fisheries Bureau and results from the ISU lake surveys. Based on information from the DNR Fisheries Bureau, this lake is infested with Brittle naiad an invasive plant and a healthy population of Chinese Mystery snails and Asiatic clams. These potential impairments are not appropriate for Iowa’s Section 303(d) list of impaired waters (Integrated Report Category 5) but are appropriate for IR Category 3b of Iowa’s Integrated Report and Iowa’s list of waters in need of further investigation.

Class HH: No Data

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

5/18/2016

Fixed Monitoring Start Date

8/20/2019

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)

420

Indicator bacteria monitoring