Iowa DNR
Iowa DNR
ADBNet
Water Quality Assessments
Impaired Waters List

Honey Creek IA 02-IOW-668

mouth (S1 T75N R5W Louisa Co.) to road crossing in S25 T76N R5W Louisa Co.

Cycle
2018
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.
Trend
Unknown
Created
5/13/2019 2:36:03 PM
Updated
8/2/2019 10:37:30 AM
Use Support
Class A1
Recreation - Primary contact
Not Assessed
Class BWW2
Aquatic Life - Warm Water Type 2
Fully Supported
General Use
General Use water -
Not Assessed
Impairment Delistings
Cycle Added Class Cause Data Source Rationale
2006 Class BWW2 Biological: low aquatic macroinvertebrate IBI Biological monitoring: Iowa DNR WQMA New data: recovery of fish/invertebrate community
Documentation
Assessment Summary

The presumptive Class A1 (primary contact recreation) uses remain "not assessed" due to the lack of information upon which to base an assessment. The Class B(WW2) aquatic life uses are assessed (monitored) as “fully supporting” based on DNR/SHL biological sampling conducted in 2012 and 2016. The 2018 Class B(WW2) aquatic life uses assessment results in a de-listing of the previous 5b impairment in this segment first listed in 2006.

Assessment Explanation

The Class B(WW2) aquatic life uses are assessed (monitored) as "fully supporting" based on biological data collected in 2012 and 2016 as part of DNR/SHL stream biocriteria projects. A series of biological metrics which reflect stream water quality and habitat integrity were calculated from the biocriteria sampling data. The biological metrics are based on the numbers and types of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa and fish species collected in the stream sampling reach. The biological metrics were combined to make a fish community index of biotic integrity (FIBI) and a benthic macroinvertebrate index (BMIBI). The indexes rank the biological integrity of a stream sampling reach on a rising scale from 0 (minimum) to 100 (maximum). The 2016 FIBI score was 48 (fair) and the 2016 BMIBI score was 76 (excellent). The 2012 FIBI score was 36 (fair) and the BMIBI score was 54 (fair). The aquatic life use support was assessed as fully supporting (=FS), based on a comparison of the FIBI and BMIBI scores with biological impairment criteria (BIC) established for previous Section 305(b) reports. The biological impairment criteria were determined from a statistical analysis of data collected at stream ecoregion reference sites from 1994-2008. The FIBI BIC for this ecoregion is 36 and the BMIBI BIC for this ecoregion is 51. This segment passed the FIBI BIC 2/2 times and passed the BMIBI BIC 2/2 times in the last five years.

This aquatic life assessment is now considered "monitored" based on a change in the 2010 DNR assessment methodology. DNR now requires a segment have two or more biological samples collected from the segment in multiple years over a five-year period to be considered “monitored”. This segment had two samples collected in the previous five years (2012-2016). The 2018 Class B(WW2) aquatic life uses assessment results in a de-listing of the previous 5b impairment in this segment first listed in 2006.

Monitoring and Methods
Assessment Key Dates
8/1/2016
Biological Monitoring
8/21/2012
Biological Monitoring
Methods
315
Regional reference site approach
320
Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys
330
Fish surveys
380
Quantitative physical habitat assessment