Price Creek IA 02-IOW-699

Assessment Comments

Stream use assessment in Iowa County.

Basis for Assessment

Used a review of the field sheet from the May 1992 DNR stream use assessment in Iowa County to downgrade the assessment of support of the Class B(LR) aquatic life uses from FST to PS due to (1) relatively low fish community diversity (6 species from 2 families) for streams in the Southern Iowa Rolling Loess Prairies subecoregion (47f) and (2) presence of less than a majority of the expected fish fish taxa (3 of 8) for streams in this subregion.   As identified on the field sheet, the most significant impacts to the physical characteristics of the stream are frequent channel alterations (unspecified) and frequent streambank erosion.   As noted in the assessment developed for the 1996 report (see above), the presence of diverse substrates and several pool/riffle sequences should produce the expected aquatic community.   Follow-up monitoring is needed to better define the status of the aquatic communities and habitats of this stream and to determine the degree to which the Class B(LR) aquatic life uses may be impaired.