2024 Pending assessment for Iowa River

Iowa River IA 02-IOW-646

from confluence with South Fork Iowa R. (S25 T87N R20W Hardin Co.) to confluence with Pine Cr. in S8 T87N R19W Hardin Co.

Assessment Cycle

2024

Release Status

Pending

Data Collection Period

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 2020 - 2022
Stream/River Water Quality Data	CY 2020 - 2022
Lake Water Quality Data	CY 2018 - 2022
Biological Sampling Data	CY 2018 - 2022*
Fish Kill Data	CY 2018 - 2022
Fish Tissue Sampling Data	CY 2018 - 2022
Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Sampling Data	CY 2018 - 2022
*Biological sites sampled in both 2017 and 2021 were also assessed.

Overall IR Category: 5 - Water is impaired or threatened and a TMDL is needed.
Trend: Unknown

Created: 11/1/2023 8:12:56 AM
Updated: 12/15/2023 8:53:22 AM

Assessment conducted in accordance with Iowa's 2024 IR methodology.

Use Support

Class A1

Not Supported

Bacteria: Indicator Bacteria- E. coli

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

4a - Pollutant-caused impairment. TMDL has been completed.

Cause Magnitude

Slight

Status

Continuing

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

N/A

Cycle Added

2004

Impairment Rationale

Geometric mean criterion exceeded

Data Source

Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-rivers

Class BWW1

WINOFI

Biological: low aquatic macroinvertebrate IBI

Support Level

Water in Need of Further Investigation (WINOFI)

Impairment Code

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

Cause Magnitude

Slight

Status

New

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

Low

Cycle Added

2024

Impairment Rationale

Low Biotic Index

Data Source

Biological monitoring: Iowa DNR WQMA

Class HH

Not Supported

Fish Consumption Advisory: Mercury

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

5a - Pollutant-caused impairment. TMDL needed.

Cause Magnitude

Moderate

Status

Continuing

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

N/A

Cycle Added

2014

Impairment Rationale

Fish consumption advisory in effect: no more than 1 meal/week

Data Source

Fish contaminant monitoring: Iowa DNR

TMDL Priority

Tier IV

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The Class A1 use was assessed as "not supported" due to levels of indicator bacteria (E. coli) that exceeded state water quality criteria. The Class BWW1 use was assessed as "WINOFI" based on biological sampling data. The Class HH (fish consumption) use was assessed as “not supported” due to a historic one meal/week mercury consumption advisory for any predator fish in this segment. Note: A TMDL covering the bacteria impairments for all segments, with the segment code prefix "IA 02-IOW" in the Iowa River Basin, was approved by EPA in 2018. Due to the completion of the TMDL, the IR category for the Class A1 use was changed from 5a (impaired; TMDL needed) to 4a (impaired; TMDL approved). Because not all impairments identified for this segment are covered by the TMDL, this segment remains in Category 5 of Iowa's Integrated Report (impaired; TMDL needed).

Assessment Explanation

Data Sources:

Data Source	Data Source ID	Data Type	Data Age	Site ID	Site Name	Site Description
Iowa DNR	6	WQ	CY 2020-2022	10420001	Iowa River near Gifford
Iowa DNR	6	BIO	See Below	839	Iowa River	Gifford

Class A1 - Indicator Bacteria:

Site ID

Data Source ID

# Samples per Year (2020/ 2021/2022)

2020 Geometric Mean

2021 Geometric Mean

2022 Geometric Mean

Violates Annual Geometric Mean?

# 2020 SSM violations / SSM Violations needed for impairment

# 2021 SSM violations / SSM Violations needed for impairment

# 2022 SSM violations / SSM Violations needed for impairment

Violates Annual SSM Significantly >10% Rule?

Assessment Type

Support Level

10420001

8/8/9

154

223

YES

2 / 3

3 / 3

4 / 3

YES

Mon

Not

Class A1 - pH:

Site ID	Data Source ID	# Samples / # Years	Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Mean Value	# Violations	Violations needed for impairment	Violates Significantly >10% Rule?	Assessment Type	Support Level
10420001	6	36 / 3	7.2	8.9	8.2	0	7	NO	Mon	Full

Class BWW1 - Binomial Parameters:

Site ID	Data Source ID	Parameter Name	# Samples / # Years	Minimum Value	Maximum Value	Mean Value	# Violations	# Acute / Chronic Violations	Violations needed for impairment	Violates Significantly >10% Rule?	Assessment Type	Support Level
10420001	6	Chloride	36 / 3	14	40	25	NA	0 / 0	7	NO	Mon	Full
10420001	6	Dissolved Oxygen	36 / 3	7.1	14.3	11.1	0	NA / NA	7	NO	Mon	Full
10420001	6	pH	36 / 3	7.2	8.9	8.2	0	NA / NA	7	NO	Mon	Full
10420001	6	Sulfate	36 / 3	19	60	36	0	NA / NA	7	NO	Mon	Full
10420001	6	Temperature	36 / 3	0	27.1	11.7	0	NA / NA	7	NO	Mon	Full

Class BWW1 - Toxic Parameters:

Site ID	Data Source ID	Parameter Name	# Samples / # Years	Maximum Value	Mean Value	Median Value	# Acute / Chronic Violations	>1 Acute / Chronic Violation	Assessment Type	Support Level
10420001	6	Ammonia	36 / 3	0.23	0.04	0.02	0 / 0	NO	Mon	Full
10420001	6	Cadmium	20 / 3	0.5	0.5	0.5	0 / 0	NO	Mon	Full
10420001	6	Chromium	20 / 3	1.2	0.7	0.7	0 / 0	NO	Mon	Full
10420001	6	Lead	20 / 3	1	0.91	1	0 / 0	NO	Mon	Full
10420001	6	Nickel	20 / 3	3.2	1.6	1.4	0 / 0	NO	Mon	Full
10420001	6	Selenium	18 / 2	3	1.3	1.5	0 / 0	NO	Mon	Full
10420001	6	Silver	20 / 3	1	0.902	1	0 / 0	NO	Mon	Full
10420001	6	Zinc	20 / 3	4	0.9	0.5	0 / 0	NO	Mon	Full

Class BWW1 - Biological Sampling:

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

Site ID	Date	Drainage Area (mi2)	Ecoregion	Major Drainage	BM Sample Gear	BMIBI score	BMIBI Class	47f BMIBI BIT	BMIBI Pass/Fail
839	8/25/22	774.7	47f	MS	Floating Art Sub	41	Fair	51	Fail
839	8/2/19	774.7	47f	MS	Floating Art Sub	66	Good	51	Pass

Overall:

Community	Assessment Type	Assessment Result	Support Level	IR Category	Reason
Benthic Macroinvertebrates	Evaluated	Fail (1/2)	WINOFI		Assessment was evaluated because the drainage area
Overall	Evaluated	Fail	WINOFI	3bu	of the sample site was greater than the calibrated range.

Class HH - Fish Tissue Sampling:

Support Level

Not

A historic one meal/week mercury consumption advisory for any predator fish exists on this segment. Based on IR Methodology, the Class HH (fish consumption) use was assessed as “not supported.”

Class HH-F - Toxic Parameters:

Site ID	Data Source ID	Parameter Name	# Samples / # Years	Maximum Value	Mean Value	Median Value	Number of Non - Detects	Mean Value > Criterion or MCL	Assessment Type	Support Level
10420001	6	Selenium	18 / 2	3	1.3	1.5	8	NO	Mon	Full

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

1/13/2020	Monitoring Start
12/6/2022	Monitoring End
8/2/2019	Biological Monitoring
3/9/2018	TMDL Completed
8/5/2022	Biological Monitoring

Methods

200	Physical/Chemical Monitoring
260	Fish tissue analysis
315	Regional reference site approach
320	Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys
420	Indicator bacteria monitoring

Water Quality Assessments

Impaired Waters List

Iowa River IA 02-IOW-646

Assessment Summary

Assessment Explanation

Assessment Key Dates

Methods