Cheever Lake IA 04-UDM-6384

approximately 3 miles SW of Estherville in S20 T99N R34W Emmet 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: 1 - All designated uses are met.
Trend: Stable
Created: 1/6/2022 9:33:25 AM
Updated: 1/31/2022 2:58:42 PM

Use Support

Class BLW

Aquatic Life - Lakes and wetlands

Fully Supported

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The Class BLW use continues to be assessed as "fully supported" based on this assessment and previous assessments.

Assessment Explanation

Data Sources:

Data Source	Data Source ID	Data Type	Data Age	Site ID	Site Name	Site Description
Iowa DNR	6	WQ	CY 2014-2015	22320007	Cheever Lake

Class BLW - TSI's:

Site ID	Data Source ID	Parameter Name	# Samples / # Years	Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Median Value	Median TSI Violation	Assessment Type	Support Level
22320007	6	Chlorophyll a TSI	6 / 2	24	50	37	NO	Evaluated	Full
22320007	6	Total Phosphorus TSI	6 / 2	57	76	72	NA	NA	NA
22320007	6	Inorganic suspended solids	1 / 1	0.5	0.5	0.5	NA	NA	NA

The TSI value for Secchi depth is not used to evaluate the attainment of the aquatic life use in shallow lakes. Due to the depth of these shallow lakes, TSI values for Secchi depth can be misleading. In some instances, the Secchi disk remains visible at the bottom of the lake and the depth of the lake is recorded as the Secchi depth. In these instances, water clarity may be sufficient to support the Class BLW use, but the index value is limited by the depth of the lake. Thus the combination of total suspended solids and chlorophyll a will be used to determine whether or not the Class BLW use is impaired in these shallow systems.

Class BLW - Protection of Submerged Aquatic Vegetation:

Site ID	Data Source ID	Parameter Name	# Samples / # Years	Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Median Value	Median Value >= SAV	Assessment Type	Support Level
22320007	6	Total suspended solids	6 / 2	0.5	7	2.3	NO	Evaluated	Full

Guidelines for wetland assessment from the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee’s Water Quality Technical Section (2003) state that an average total suspended solids concentration during the growing season of less than 30 mg/L is necessary to provide sufficient water clarity to support the growth of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) in wetlands and shallow lakes. High levels of total suspended solids impede the growth of SAV. SAV is critical to the health of wetland and shallow lake ecosystems. The elimination of SAV can degrade habitat quality such that undesirable aquatic species such as cyanobacteria, common carp, and fathead minnows dominate. As such, the suppression of SAV constitutes a violation of Iowa’s narrative water quality criteria protecting against undesirable or nuisance aquatic life.

Additional Information:

See the 2014 assessment for more information: https://programs.iowadnr.gov/adbnet/Segments/6384/Assessment/2014

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

5/20/2014

Fixed Monitoring Start Date

5/20/2015

Fixed Monitoring End Date

Methods

120

Surveys of fish and game biologists/other professionals

150

Monitoring data more than 5 years old

222

Non-fixed-station monitoring (conventional during key seasons and flows)

340

Primary producer surveys (phytoplankton/periphyton/macrophyton)