Pine Creek IA 01-WPS-386

mouth (S28 T88N R8W Buchanan Co.) to confluence with unnamed tributary in NE 1/4 S20 T89N R8W Buchanan Co.

Assessment Cycle

2018

Release Status

Final

Data Collection Period

For purposes of developing stream/river water quality assessments for integrated reporting, three years of water quality data are typically used for both conventional pollutant parameters (e.g., indicator bacteria) and the less frequently monitored toxic parameters (e.g., toxic metals). Since the 2004 IR cycle, DNR has used a three-year data gathering period for streams, rivers, and beaches. For most assessments, the use of three years of data increases the number of samples upon which the decision on use support is based and helps address the problem of weather-related year-to-year fluctuations in water quality.

Due to the lower sampling frequency in Iowa’s ambient lake, biological, fish kill, and fish tissue monitoring programs, five years of data are used for developing IR assessments and for identifying Section 303(d) listings.

Data Type	Data Timeframe
Beach Sampling Data	CY 2014 - 2016
Stream/River Water Quality Data	CY 2014 - 2016
Lake Water Quality Data	CY 2012 - 2016
Biological Sampling Data	CY 2012 - 2016*
Fish Kill Data	CY 2012 - 2016
Fish Tissue Sampling Data	CY 2012 - 2016
Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Sampling Data	CY 2012 - 2016
*Biological sites sampled in both 2011 and 2015 were also assessed.

Overall IR Category: 2 - Some of the designated uses are met but there is insufficient data to determine if remaining designated uses are met.
Trend: Unknown

Created: 5/13/2019 9:32:05 AM
Updated: 5/13/2019 9:34:48 AM

Assessment conducted in accordance with Iowa's 2018 IR methodology

Use Support

Class A1

Recreation

Primary contact

Presumptive Use

Not Assessed

Class BWW2

Aquatic Life

Warm Water Type 2

Fully Supported

General Use

General Use water

Not Assessed

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The presumptive Class A1 (primary contact recreation) uses remain "not assessed" due to the lack of information upon which to base an assessment. The Class B(WW2) aquatic life uses remain assessed (evaluated) as “fully supporting” based on results of DNR/SHL biological sampling in 2011 and 2015.

Assessment Explanation

The assessment of the Class B(WW2) aquatic life uses was based on data collected in 2011 and 2015 as part of the DNR/SHL stream biocriteria project. A series of biological metrics which reflect 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 and fish species collected in the stream sampling reach. The biological metrics were combined to make a fish community index of biotic integrity (FIBI) and a benthic macroinvertebrate index (BMIBI). The indexes rank the biological integrity of a stream sampling reach on a rising scale from 0 (minimum) to 100 (maximum). The 2015 FIBI score was 72 (excellent) and the BMIBI scores were 73 and 77 (both excellent). The 2011 FIBI score was 67 (good) and the BMIBI score was 85 (excellent). The aquatic life use support was assessed as fully supporting (=FS), based on a comparison of the FIBI and BMIBI scores with biological impairment criteria (BIC) established for previous Section 305(b) reports. The non-riffle habitat FIBI BIC for this ecoregion is 44 and the natural substrate BMIBI BIC for this ecoregion is 70. This segment passed the FIBI BIC 2/2 times and passed the BMIBI BIC 3/3 times in the last six years. The biological impairment criteria were determined from a statistical analysis of data collected at stream ecoregion reference sites from 1994-2008.

This aquatic life assessment is now considered "evaluated" based on a change in the 2010 DNR assessment methodology. DNR now requires a segment have two or more biological samples collected from the segment in multiple years over a recent five-year period to be considered “monitored”. This segment had multiple samples collected in the previous six years (2011-2016); however, the multiple samples were not collected during the most recent five-year period.

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

9/1/2015

Biological Monitoring

8/9/2011

Biological Monitoring

7/23/2015

Biological Monitoring

Methods

150

Monitoring data more than 5 years old

315

Regional reference site approach

320

Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys

330

Fish surveys

380

Quantitative physical habitat assessment