Assessment Comments
Two stream use assessments (1992 and 1995) and biocriteria sampling site (1994) in Howard County. Fish kill near Saratoga.
Basis for Assessment
Fish kill occurred in July 1997 3 mi NW of Saratoga; kill attributed to discharge of hog manure; an estimated 109,000 fish were killed. Continue to use the assessment of support of aquatic life uses developed for the 1996 report (=FST). A review of the field sheets from the June 1992 and September 1995 DNR stream use assesments, and results from the July 1994 DNR biocriteria sampling near Lourdes, support the assessment of the Class B(LR) aquatic life uses as FST due to (1) presence of very diverse fish communities (species/families, dstr->upstr: 25/5; 20/5; 13/4) for streams in the Iowan Surface subecoregion (47c), including several environmentally sensitive species (e.g., American brook lamprey, redfin shiner, rosyface shiner, northern hogsucker, and banded darter), (2) presence of most of the expected fish taxa (dstr->upstr: 10 of 11; 8 of 11; 6 of 11) for streams in this subregion, and (3) indications of above average habitat quality due to diverse substrates, presence of pool/riffle sequences, and lack of significant impacts to the physcial characteristics of this stream. In the absence of the threat from fish kills, this reach of Crane Creek would fully support the Class B(LR) uses.
