Sugar Creek IA 02-CED-492

from confluence with unnamed tributary in SW 1/4 S4 T80N R2W (Cedar Co.) to headwaters (NE 1/4 S33 T82N R2W Cedar Co.)

Open Data Collection Period Modal

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 2016 - 2018
Stream/River Water Quality Data	CY 2016 - 2018
Lake Water Quality Data	CY 2014 - 2018
Biological Sampling Data	CY 2014 - 2018*
Fish Kill Data	CY 2014 - 2018
Fish Tissue Sampling Data	CY 2014 - 2018
Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Sampling Data	CY 2014 - 2018
*Biological sites sampled in both 2013 and 2017 were also assessed.

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Cycle: 2020
Release Status: Final
Overall IR: 4 - Water is impaired or threatened and a TMDL has been completed or is not needed.
Trend: Unknown
Created: 6/10/2020 7:45:50 AM
Updated: 10/15/2020 11:57:39 AM

Use Support

Class A1

Presumptive Use

Recreation - Primary contact

Not Assessed

Class BWW1

Presumptive Use

Aquatic Life - Warm Water Type 1

Partially Supported

Biological: low aquatic macroinvertebrate IBI

Support Level

Further Investigation Needed

Impairment Code

3b-u - Use potentially biologically impaired based on uncalibrated IBI metrics.

Cause Magnitude

Slight

Status

Continuing

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

Low

Cycle Added

2010

Impairment Rationale

Low Biotic Index

Data Source

Biological monitoring: Iowa DNR WQMA

Fish Kill: Caused By Animal Waste

Support Level

Partially Supported

Impairment Code

4d - Pollutant-caused fish kill. No TMDL needed and administrative action taken against responsible party.

Cause Magnitude

High

Status

Continuing

Source

Agriculture: Animal Feeding Operations

Source Confidence

Moderate

Cycle Added

2016

Impairment Rationale

Pollutant-caused fish kill

Data Source

Fish kill investigation: Iowa DNR

General Use

General Use water -

Not Assessed

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The presumptive Class BWW1 use remains assessed as "partially supported" due to a fish kill investigation and on the results of biological sampling. All other designated uses were "not assessed".

Assessment Explanation

Sources of Data:

Data Source	Data Source ID	Data Type	Data Age	Site ID	Site Name	Site Description
Iowa DNR	6	BIO	See Below	72	Sugar Creek	Tipton East WWTP - US
Iowa DNR	6	BIO	See Below	237	Sugar Creek	Tipton Hwy 130 – TMDL #9

Presumptive Class BWW1 - Biological Sampling:

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

BioNet Site ID	Date	Drainage Area (mi2)	Ecoregion	Major Drainage	BM Sample Gear	BMIBI score	BMIBI Class	47f BMIBI BIT	BMIBI Pass/ Fail
237	8/23/01	25	47f	MS/WW	ArtSub	58	Good	51	Pass
73	9/20/96	29	47f	MS/WW	ArtSub	41	Fair	51	Fail

Fish:

BioNet Site ID	Date	Drainage Area (mi2)	Ecoregion	Major Drainage	Riffle Stream?	FIBI score	FIBI Class	47f FIBI BIT	FIBI Pass/ Fail
237	8/25/01	25	47f	MS/WW	NA	50	Fair	36	Pass
73	9/18/96	29	47f	MS/WW	NA	38	Fair	36	Pass

Overall:

Community	Assessment Type	Assessment Result	Support Level	Earned IR Category	Actual IR Category	Reason
Benthic Macroinvertebrates	Evaluated	Fail (1/2)	Partial
Fish	Evaluated	Pass (2/2)	Full
Overall	Evaluated	Fail	Partial	3bu	3bu	Assessment is evaluated because it was based on samples not collected in the last five years and the drainage areas of the sites were smaller than the calibrated range.

Presumptive Class BWW1 – Fishkill Assessment:

The presumptive Class BWW1 use assessment based on the 2015 fish kill placed this segment in Category 4d. The fish kill was caused by a “pollutant” or was suspected to be caused by a “pollutant”; therefore, the presumptive Class BWW1 use was considered impaired. However, because restitution for the fish killed was received, the presumptive Class BWW1 use was placed in Category 4d (impaired but TMDL not required). DNR feels that (1) TMDLs should not be required for a fish kill caused by a one-time illegal or unauthorized release of a pollutant where enforcement action was taken and (2) enforcement action is more appropriate and effective for addressing a spill-related impairment than the TMDL process.

Details about the 2015 fish kill can be found here:https://programs.iowadnr.gov/fishkill/Events/894

Presumptive Class A1 - No data

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

9/18/1996

Biological Monitoring

8/23/2001

Biological Monitoring

8/5/2015

Fish Kill

Methods

120

Surveys of fish and game biologists/other professionals

140

Incidence of spills and/or fish kills

150

Monitoring data more than 5 years old

315

Regional reference site approach

320

Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys

330

Fish surveys