Iowa DNR
Iowa DNR
ADBNet
Water Quality Assessments
Impaired Waters List

Marble Lake IA 06-LSR-1656

Dickinson County S17T100NR36W 3.5 mi. NE of Montgomery.

Cycle
2024
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
Eutrophic
Trend
Stable
Created
11/14/2023 3:18:32 PM
Updated
2/5/2024 1:31:48 PM
Use Support
Class BLW
Aquatic Life - Lakes and wetlands
Fully Supported
Class HH
Human Health -
Not Assessed
Impairment Delistings
Cycle Added Class Cause Data Source Rationale
2022 Class BLW pH Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-shallow lakes & wetlands New data: WQ improvement (chemical / physical / bacterial)
Documentation
Assessment Summary

The Class BLW use was assessed (monitored) as "fully supported." 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 2018-2021

22300017

Marble Lake

Class BLW – Shallow Lake TSI:

Site ID

Data Source ID

Parameter Name

# Samples / # Years

Minimum Value

Maximum Value

Median Value

Median TSI Violation?

Assessment Type

Support Level

22300017

6

Chlorophyll a TSI

16 / 4

48

75

62

NO

Mon

Full

The TSI value for Secchi depth is not used to evaluate the attainment of the aquatic life use 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 BLW use, but the index value is limited by the depth of the lake. Thus, the combination of total suspended solids and chlorophyll a was used to determine whether or not the Class BLW use was impaired in these shallow systems.

Class BLW - Binomial 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

22300017

6

Dissolved Oxygen

15 / 3

5.78

15.04

10.07

0

NA / NA

4

NO

Mon

Full

22300017

6

pH

10 / 2

7.64

8.92

8.33

0

NA / NA

3

NO

Mon

Full

22300017

6

Temperature

15 / 3

14

28.2

21.9

0

NA / NA

4

NO

Mon

Full

Marble Lake was assessed as "not supported" for the 2022 assessment/listing cycle due to frequent violations of the state Class BLW criterion for pH. Based on DNR’s assessment methodology the current assessment/listing cycles must have fewer violations of the criterion based on the minimum required by on the 10% Rule to propose delisting. pH There were less than 10% of the samples exceeding the single-sample maximum criterion for the 2024 assessment/listing cycle. Therefore, the impairment for pH is suggested for delisting for the 2024 assessment/listing cycle.

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

22300017

6

Total suspended solids

16 / 4

7

50

16

NO

Mon

Full

Guidelines for wetland assessment from the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee’s Water Quality Technical Section (2003) state that a median 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 (SAV) in wetlands and shallow lakes. High levels of total suspended solids impede the growth of SAV. SAV 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.

Class BLW - Toxic Parameters:

Site ID

Data Source ID

Parameter Name

# Samples / # Years

Maximum Value

Mean Value

Median Value

# Acute / Chronic Violations

>1 Acute / Chronic Violation

Assessment Type

Support Level

22300017

6

Ammonia

5 / 1

0.2

0.1

0.02

0 / 0

NO

Evaluated

Full

Class HH - No Data

Monitoring and Methods
Assessment Key Dates
5/15/2018
Monitoring Start
5/26/2021
Monitoring End
Methods
120
Surveys of fish and game biologists/other professionals
200
Physical/Chemical Monitoring
340
Primary producer surveys (phytoplankton/periphyton/macrophyton)