The Class A1 (primary contact recreation) uses and the Class A2 (secondary contact recreation) uses both remain assessed as "not supported" based on levels of indicator bacteria at all three monitoring stations that exceeded state water quality criteria. In terms of the Class A1 assessment, the 2010 recreation season geometric mean of indicator bacteria (E. coli) in the 16 samples collected during the recreational season of 2010 at site 75 (Wap-2) was 920 orgs/100 ml; the geometric mean in the 20 independent samples collected during the recreational season of 2010 at SiteWap-1 was 2,358 orgs/100 ml, and the geometric mean in the 16 samples collected during the recreational season of 2010 in the Wapsipinicon SWMA near McIntire was 1,596 orgs/100 ml. The geometric means at all three sites far exceed the Class A1 criterion of 126 orgs/100 ml. From 81 to 94% of the samples exceeded the Class A1 single-sample maximum criterion sample maximum criterion of 235 orgs/100 ml. No additional bacterial samples have been collected since 2010.

For the Class A2 assessment, the 2010 annual geometric mean of indicator bacteria (E. coli) in the 18 samples collected at site 75 (Wap-2) was 636 orgs/100 ml; the geometric mean in the 22 independent samples collected during 2010 at SiteWap-1 was 1,725 orgs/100 ml, and the geometric mean in the 18 samples collected during 2010 in the Wapsipinicon SWMA near McIntire was 1,306 orgs/100 ml. Only two samples were collected during calendar year 2011 (January and February). These two sample geometric means were all very low (range from 32 to 46 orgs/100 ml. The geometric means for calendar year 2010 at all three sites exceed the Class A2 criterion of 630 orgs/100 ml. According to U.S. EPA guidelines for Section 305(b) reporting and DNR’s assessment/listing methodology, if a recreation season geometric mean exceeds the respective water quality criterion, the contact recreation uses should be assessed as “impaired” (see pgs 3-33 to 3-35 of U.S. EPA 1997b). Thus, because at least one recreation season geometric mean exceeded criteria for both the Class A1 and A2 uses, these uses were assessed as “impaired.”

Results of chemical/physical monitoring in 2010 and 2011 at station 11660001 (Wap-1), 11660002 (Wap-2), and 12660005 (SWMA) suggest that the Class B(CW1) aquatic life uses should be assessed as “fully supporting”. No violations of ammonia, pH, chloride, or sulfate occurred in the 20 samples analyzed at each station from March 2010 to February 2011. One of the approximately 20 samples collected at each of these three station violated the Class B(CW1) criterion for dissolved oxygen of 7.0 mg/l. Samples collected at each station on July 28, 2010 contained between 6.5 and 6.7 mg/l of dissolved oxygen, thus violating the Class B(CW1) criterion. According to U.S. EPA guidelines (U.S. EPA 1997b, page 3-17), however, a violation frequency of less than 10% for conventional parameters such as temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen does not suggest impairment of aquatic life uses. Thus, based on DNR’s assessment methodology, the frequency of dissolved oxygen violations at these stations (from 4 to 5%) does not suggest impairment of the Class B(CW1) aquatic life uses. Similarly, violations of the Class B(CW1) criterion for water temperature occurred at all three stations. In samples taken between July 13 and August 4, 2010, water temperatures ranged from 20.5 C to 22.5 C. Violation frequencies ranged from 10% (2 of 20 samples) at Station 11660002 to 15% (3 of 20 samples) at station 12660005. Based on DNR’s assessment methodology, however, these results suggest that the frequencies of violation at these stations are not significantly greater than 10 percent and thus do not suggest impairment of the Class B(CW1) aquatic life uses.

However, the 2010 combined results of continuous dissolved oxygen (DO) and temperature monitoring at stations 11660001 (Wap-1), 11660002 (Wap-2), and 12660005 (SWMA) do suggest impairment of Class B(CW1) aquatic life uses. The lowest DO concentration recorded in 51 combined days of continuous monitoring at the three bioassessment sites was 3.8 mg/L. The daily DO minimum concentration failed to meet the 24-hour DO criterion (5 mg/L) and the 16-hour DO criterion (7 mg/L) in 7 of 51 days and 23 of 51 days, respectively. The percentage exceeding the 24-hour criterion (14%) and was greater than (failing) the 10% impairment threshold used to assess conventional water quality parameters; however, the statistical analysis confidence level (< 90%) was not high. The percentage exceeding the 16-hour criterion (45.1%) and was greater than (failing) the 10% impairment threshold with high statistical confidence (>90%). The maximum stream temperature recorded during the sensor deployment period ranged from 23.3-25.7 degrees (C) among the three bioassessment sites. The B(CW1) temperature criterion of 20 (C) was exceeded in 50 of 51 days. The combined percentage exceeding (98%) was greater than (failing) the 10% impairment threshold with high statistical confidence (>90%). Based on these data, the B(CW1) aquatic life use is assessed as impaired due to DO and temperature. The assessment type is “evaluated” because it is based on data collected from a single year within the current data assessment period. In order to meet the requirements for a “monitored” assessment, the DNR’s continuous monitoring assessment methodology requires monitoring data from two or more years within the assessment period. Given the extremely high frequency of temperature criteria exceedances, follow-up continuous monitoring and an assessment of stream thermal dynamics are strongly recommended.

Results of USGS monitoring at McIntire from May to August 2013 suggest “full support” of the Class B(CW1) aquatic life uses. None of the 10 samples collected violated Class B(CW1) criteria for ammonia, dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, or chloride/sulfate.

Results of biological monitoring, however, suggest that the Class B(CW1) aquatic life uses should remain assessed as “partially supporting”. This assessment of the Class B(CW1) aquatic life uses was based on data collected in 2008 and 2010 as part of the DNR/SHL coldwater stream sampling project. A series of biological metrics which reflect coldwater stream water quality and habitat integrity were calculated from the biological sampling data. The biological metrics are based on the numbers and types of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa that were collected in the stream sampling reach. The biological metrics were combined to make a coldwater benthic index (CBI). The index ranks the biological integrity of a coldwater stream sampling reach on a rising scale from 0 (minimum) to 100 (maximum). The 2008 CBI scores were 37 and 37. The 2010 CBI scores were 33, 37 and 43. The aquatic life use support was assessed (monitored) as partially supporting (=PS), based on a comparison of the CBI score with biological impairment criteria (BIC) established for the 2012 Section 305(b) report. The biological impairment criteria were determined from a statistical analysis of data collected at coldwater stream reference sites from 1994-2011. The CW BIC is 60 and this segment passed the CW BIC 0/5 times in a five-year period (2008-2012). This aquatic life use assessment is considered "evaluated" because while there were two or more samples collected in multiple years five year period (2008-2012), those data are now greater than five years old.

A fish kill occurred on this stream on July 29, 2002. The fish kill followed heavy rainfall following a long period of hot, dry weather. No specific cause was determined, but runoff from feedlots and/or land applied manure is suspected due to presence of several feedlots in the watershed of this stream. Approximately 0.5 mile of stream was affected, and 184 fish were killed. Another fish kill that originated in Minnesota occurred on this stream on April 28, 2016. A Mitchell County LEO, relayed information he received about the fish kill that occurred in the coldwater section of the Wapsipinicon River likely sometime April 28 following several bouts of rain showers earlier in the week. Approximately 6.3 miles of stream were affected, 420 fish were killed valued at $37.80.According to DNR's assessment methodology for Section 305(b) reporting, occurrence of a single pollution-caused fish kill indicates ongoing impairment of the aquatic life uses. Any existing fish kill (5b) impairment will remain in IR Category 5b until more recent monitoring has shown full recovery from the kill event. Thus, this assessment segment will remain in Category 5b of Iowa’s Integrated Report.

Fish consumption uses remain "not assessed" due to the lack of fish contaminant monitoring in this stream segment.