Lower Brown Lake IA 01-NEM-6315

North of Sabula (T85N R06E Sec22 Jackson county)

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 2012 - 2014
Stream/River Water Quality Data	CY 2012 - 2014
Lake Water Quality Data	CY 2010 - 2014
Biological Sampling Data	CY 2010 - 2014*
Fish Kill Data	CY 2010 - 2014
Fish Tissue Sampling Data	CY 2010 - 2014
Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Sampling Data	CY 2010 - 2014
*Biological sites sampled in both 2009 and 2013 were also assessed.

Open Segment Map
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Cycle: 2016
Release Status: Final
Overall IR: 2 - Some of the designated uses are met but there is insufficient data to determine if remaining designated uses are met.
Trophic: Unknown
Trend: Unknown
Created: 6/7/2016 9:45:43 AM
Updated: 3/13/2017 10:40:29 AM

Use Support

Class A1

Recreation - Primary contact

Not Assessed

Class BWW1

Aquatic Life - Warm Water Type 1

Not Assessed

Class HH

Human Health -

Fully Supported

General Use

General Use water -

Not Assessed

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The Class A1 (primary contact recreation) and Class B(WW-1) (aquatic life) uses are "not assessed" due to lack of information upon which to base an assessment. The fish consumption uses are assessed (monitored) as "fully supported" based on results of fish contaminant monitoring in 2007. Sources of data for this assessment include (1) results of U.S. EPA/IDNR fish tissue monitoring in 2007.

Assessment Explanation

Fish consumption uses were assessed (monitored) as “fully supported” based on results of U.S. EPA/IDNR fish contaminant (RAFT) monitoring at Lower Brown Lake in 2007. The composite samples of fillets from common carp and black crappie had low levels of contaminants. Levels of primary contaminants in the composite sample of common carp fillets were as follows: mercury: 0.1 ppm; total PCBs: 0.09 ppm; and technical chlordane: <0.03 ppm. The level of mercury in the composite sample of black crappie fillets was 0.114 ppm. The existence of, or potential for, a fish consumption advisory is the basis for Section 305(b) assessments of the degree to which Iowa’s lakes and rivers support their fish consumption uses. The fish contaminant data generated from the 2007 RAFT sampling conducted at this lake show that the levels of contaminants do not exceed any of the advisory trigger levels, thus indicating no justification for issuance of a consumption advisory for this waterbody.

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

9/4/2007

Fish Tissue Monitoring

Methods

260

Fish tissue analysis