Iowa DNR
Iowa DNR
ADBNet
Water Quality Assessments
Impaired Waters List

East Big Creek IA 02-CED-503

mouth (S30 T84N R5W Linn Co.) to Hwy 151 crossing in S27 T84N R5W Linn Co.

Assessment Cycle
2000
Result Period
1996 - 1998
Designations
Assessment Methodology
Assessment Type
Monitored
Integrated Report
Category 0
Legacy ADBCode
IA 02-CED-0208_0
Overall Use Support
Partial
Aquatic Life Use Support
Partial
Documentation
Assessment Comments

1996 DNR Fisheries survey and occurance of 1998 fish kill.

Basis for Assessment

SUMMARY:  The Class B(LR) aquatic life uses were assessed as "partially supported."  EXPLANATION:  The assessment of the Class B(LR) aquatic life uses developed for the 1998 report ("fully supported / threatened"; see above) was based on results of fish surveys conducted by the DNR Water Quality Bureau and DNR Fisheries Bureau in 1991 and 1996, respectively.   A fish kill, however, occurred in East Big Creek on April 23, 1997; this kill was caused by high levels of ammonia from a quarrying operation (see assessment for the 1998 report above).   According to DNR's revised assessment methodology for Section 305(b) reporting, occurrence of a single pollution-caused fish kill within the most recent three-year period (1997-1999) indicates that the aquatic life uses of a waterbody are only "partially supported."  Thus, the assessment of support of theClass B(LR) aquatic life uses was changed from "fully supported / threatened" to "partially supported."

Monitoring and Methods
Assessment Key Dates
4/23/1997 Fishkill
7/1/1996 Biological Monitoring
Methods
330 Fish surveys
140 Incidence of spills and/or fish kills
Monitoring Levels
Biological 3
Habitat 0
Physical Chemistry 0
Toxic 0
Pathogen Indicators 0
Other Health Indicators 0
Other Aquatic Life Indicators 0
# of Bio Sites 0
BioIntegrity N/A