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 2018 - 2020
Stream/River Water Quality Data	CY 2018 - 2020
Lake Water Quality Data	CY 2016 - 2020
Biological Sampling Data	CY 2016 - 2020*
Fish Kill Data	CY 2016 - 2020
Fish Tissue Sampling Data	CY 2016 - 2020
Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Sampling Data	CY 2016 - 2020
*Biological sites sampled in both 2015 and 2019 were also assessed.

Open Segment Map
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Cycle: 2022
Release Status: Final
Overall IR: 3 - Insufficient data exist to determine whether any designated uses are met.
Trend: Unknown
Created: 12/8/2021 9:39:17 AM
Updated: 1/26/2022 3:31:38 PM

Use Support

Class A1

Presumptive Use

Recreation - Primary contact

Not Assessed

Class BWW1

Presumptive Use

Aquatic Life - Warm Water Type 1

WINOFI

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

Further Investigation Needed

Impairment Code

3b - Use potentially impaired based on an evaluated assessment.

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

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The presumptive Class BWW1 use was assessed as "WINOFI" due to a fish kill investigation and based 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	72	Sugar Creek	Tipton East WWTP - US
Iowa DNR	6	BIO	See Below	237	Sugar Creek	Tipton Hwy 130 – TMDL #9

Presumptive Class A1 - No Data

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	IR Category	Reason
Benthic Macroinvertebrates	Evaluated	Fail (1/2)	Not
Fish	Evaluated	Pass (2/2)	Full		Assessment was evaluated because it was based on samples
Overall	Evaluated	Fail	WINOFI	3bu	not collected in the last five years.

Presumptive Class BWW1 – Fish kill Assessment:

The presumptive Class BWW use previously resided in Category 4d based on the assessment developed for the 2015 fish kill. Because no additional fish kills were reported in this segment for at least five years post fish kill (2020), the Category for the fish kill assessment was changed from 4d to 3b (potentially impaired). DNR believes that any impact from the fish kill from which the impairment was based has likely dissipated. If no additional fish kills are reported in the segment for an additional five-year period (2025), the Category will be changed from 3b to 3a (not assessed).

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

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