Buck Creek IA 01-MAQ-45

mouth (S11 T87N R4W Delaware Co.) to Golden Branch in S11 T87N R5W Delaware Co.

Assessment Cycle

2024

Release Status

Pending

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 2020 - 2022
Stream/River Water Quality Data	CY 2020 - 2022
Lake Water Quality Data	CY 2018 - 2022
Biological Sampling Data	CY 2018 - 2022*
Fish Kill Data	CY 2018 - 2022
Fish Tissue Sampling Data	CY 2018 - 2022
Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Sampling Data	CY 2018 - 2022
*Biological sites sampled in both 2017 and 2021 were also assessed.

Overall IR Category: 5 - Water is impaired or threatened and a TMDL is needed.
Trend: Unknown

Created: 11/1/2023 8:12:28 AM
Updated: 12/4/2023 10:46:26 AM

Assessment conducted in accordance with Iowa's 2024 IR methodology.

Use Support

Class A1

Recreation

Primary contact

Presumptive Use

Not Assessed

Class BWW2

Aquatic Life

Warm Water Type 2

Not Supported

Impairments

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

5b-t - Biological - tentative

Cause Magnitude

Slight

Status

Continuing

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

Low

Cycle Added

2004

Impairment Rationale

Low Biotic Index

Data Source

Biological monitoring: Iowa DNR WQMA

TMDL Priority

Tier IV

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

5b - Biological impairment or pollutant-caused fish kill - unknown source. No administrative action.

Cause Magnitude

Moderate

Status

Continuing

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

N/A

Cycle Added

2004

Impairment Rationale

Loss of >50% of native mussel species

Data Source

Special project/study

TMDL Priority

Tier IV

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The Class BWW2 use was assessed as "not supported" based on information from the report "Statewide Assessment of Freshwater Mussels (Bivalva, Unionidae) in Iowa Streams" by Arbuckle et al. (2000) and also on biological sampling data. All other designated uses were "not assessed."

Assessment Explanation

Data Sources:

Data Source	Data Source ID	Data Type	Data Age	Site ID	Site Name	Site Description
Iowa DNR	6	BIO	See Below	239	Buck Creek	Delhi
Iowa DNR	6	BIO	See Below	1029	Buck Creek	BK001 – 3.5 miles west of Hopkinton
Iowa DNR	6	BIO	See Below	1030	Buck Creek	BK002 – 3 miles west of Hopkinton

Presumptive Class A1 – No Data

Class BWW2 - Biological Sampling:

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

BioNet Site ID	Date	Drainage Area (mi2)	Ecoregion	Major Drainage	BM Sample Gear	BMIBI score	BMIBI Class	47c BMIBI BIT	BMIBI Pass/ Fail
239	8/16/01	27.6	47c	MS	Hess	54	Fair	70	Fail

Fish:

BioNet Site ID	Date	Drainage Area (mi2)	Ecoregion	Major Drainage	Riffle Stream?	FIBI score	FIBI Class	47c FIBI BIT	FIBI Pass/Fail
1029	8/15/22	45	47c	MS	Undetermined	65	Good	44	Pass
1030	8/4/22	46	47c	MS	Undetermined	65	Good	44	Pass
1029	8/3/21	45	47c	MS	Undetermined	62	Good	44	Pass
1030	8/2/21	46	47c	MS	Undetermined	59	Good	44	Pass
1029	7/30/20	45	47c	MS	Undetermined	58	Good	44	Pass
1030	7/28/20	46	47c	MS	Undetermined	63	Good	44	Pass
1029	7/26/19	45	47c	MS	Undetermined	68	Good	44	Pass
1030	7/29/19	46	47c	MS	Undetermined	63	Good	44	Pass
1030	9/17/18	46	47c	MS	Undetermined	62	Good	44	Pass

Overall Assessment:

Community	Assessment Type	Assessment Result	Support Level	IR Category	Reason
Benthic Macroinvertebrates	Evaluated	Fail (0/1)	Not
Fish	Monitored	Pass (9/9)	Full		Assessment was evaluated because the impairment was
Overall	Evaluated	Fail	Not	5bt	based on a single BMIBI sample in 2001.

Class BWW2 – Freshwater Mussel Sampling:

Freshwater Mussel Survey	# Freshwater Mussel Species	# Freshwater Mussel Species Increase/Decrease	% Freshwater Mussel Species Increase/Decrease	Assessment Type	Support Level	IR Category
1984-85 (Frest 1987)	6
1998-99 (Arbuckleet al. 2000)	1	-5	-83%	Evaluated	Not	5b
As presented by Arbuckle et al. (2000), the potential causes of declines in species richness of Iowa's freshwater mussels include siltation, destabilization of stream substrate, stream flow instability, and high instream levels of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen.) Their study also suggested the importance of stream shading provided by riparian vegetation to mussel species richness.

Class HH- No Data

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

9/30/1984

Biological Monitoring

9/30/1999

Biological Monitoring

8/16/2001

Biological Monitoring

8/15/2022

Biological Monitoring

8/4/2022

Biological Monitoring

8/2/2021

Biological Monitoring

8/3/2021

Biological Monitoring

9/17/2018

Biological Monitoring

7/26/2019

Biological Monitoring

7/29/2019

Biological Monitoring

7/28/2020

Biological Monitoring

7/30/2020

Biological Monitoring

Methods

120

Surveys of fish and game biologists/other professionals

150

Monitoring data more than 5 years old

315

Regional reference site approach

320

Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys

330

Fish surveys