Assessment Comments
1995 stream use assessment site and 1994 biocriteria site as same site in Howard Co. 1997 fishkill near Jerico.
Basis for Assessment
Fish kill on Sept. 2, 1997 following an approximately 2" rainfall. No responsible party identified, but salvage activity at an abandoned fertilizer plant, in combination with runoff of other toxics, believed to have caused the kill. Approximately 8,600 fish estimated killed. Due to impact of this fish kill, assess support of the Class B(WW) aquatic life uses as FST; othewise this reach of Crane Creek supports very diverse fish community and has above average aquatic habitat quality. A review of the field sheet from the September 1995 DNR stream use assessment, and the results of the September 1994 DNR biocriteria sampling near the same locations, suggests that the Class B(WW) aquatic life uses are fully supported due to (1) presence of a very diverse fish community (species/families: 1994, 26/6; 1995, 24/5) for streams in the Iowan Surface subecoregion (47c), including several environmentally sensitive species (American brook lamprey, rosyface shiner, northern hogsucker, black redhorse, rock bass, smallmouth bass, and banded darter), (2) presence of all, or nearly all the expected fish taxa (1994: 11 of 11; 1995, 10 of 11) for streams in this subregion, (3) presence of the expected game fish species (smallmouth bass), and (4) indications of above average habitat quality. Thus, in the absence of the threat of fish kills, this stream fully supports the Class B(WW) uses.
