ADBNet

Assessment Comments

1991 SUA - habitat score/fish score 18/10: 1997 Biocriteria: BM-IBI= 49(fair).

Basis for Assessment

Added results from one biocriteria sampling location.   Fish sampling results indicate very few fish present and low species diversity.  Sampling conditions were fairly poor; follow-up sampling is needed to confirm results.  Proportion of diseased fish was relatively high (4.7%), but may be skewed by low number of fish present.  Habitat quality was ranked as fair.  Stream is straightened and deeply incised.  Dominant substrates are silt, sand and woody debris.  Water turbidity level tends toward high levels.   Monitoring conducted as part of DNR stream use assessments and for DNR biocriteria sampling show few species and few individuals per species in this reach of Keg Creek.   These sampling efforts show a fish community that lacks several of the expected species/general typical of Class B(LR) streams in the Loess Hills and Missouri Alluvial Plains regions*.  Follow-up monitoring is needed to determine the status of the aquatic communities and habitats, the degree to which the Class B(LR) uses may be impaired, and the possible causes/sources of any impairments identified.   (*Biocriteria sampling showed that less than a majority of the expected taxa (3 of 7) for streams in the Loess Hills and Rolling Prairie subecoregion were present.   Only 12 individuals were captured during the biocriteria sampling.)  No violations of Class B(LR) WQ criteria occurred in the sample collected during biocriteria sampling.