Lower Pine Lake IA 02-IOW-758

Hardin County S4T87NR19W 0.5 mi E of Eldora.

This is a Legacy Assessment. Prior to 2004, assessments were developed under a methodology that pre-dated the Integrated Report guidelines.

Assessment Cycle

1998

Result Period

1994 - 1996

Designations

Assessment Type

Monitored

Integrated Report

Category 0

Trophic

Eutrophic

Trend

Improving

Legacy ADBCode

IA 02-IOW-0330-L_0

Overall Use Support

Partial

Aquatic Life Use Support

Partial

Fish Consumption

Not assessed

Primary Contact Recreation

Partial

Documentation

Assessment Comments

Assessment is based on results of surveys by IDNR Fisheries Bureau.

Basis for Assessment

The 1996 assessment was reviewed and approved by the DNR Fisheries Bureau, with nuisance blooms of algae and organic enrichment remaining significant water quality problems at this lake. This lake was placed on the 1998 list of Section 303(d) waters at the recommendation of the DNR Fisheries Bureau. Several water quality problems at Upper and Lower Pine lakes and their watersheds have been evaluated and addressed through the Pine Creek Water Quality Project. For example, through implementation of a variety of soil conservation measures, the amount of soil flowing into these lakes have been reduced by 66 percent. These soil conservation practices include grassed waterways, sedimentation basins, streambank stabilization, and no-till farming.

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

Methods

340	Primary producer surveys (phytoplankton/periphyton/macrophyton)
420	Water column surveys (e.g. fecal coliform)
120	Surveys of fish and game biologists/other professionals
222	Non-fixed-station monitoring (conventional during key seasons and flows)

Monitoring Levels

Biological	0
Habitat	0
Physical Chemistry	0
Toxic	0
Pathogen Indicators	0
Other Health Indicators	0
Other Aquatic Life Indicators	0
# of Bio Sites	0
BioIntegrity	N/A

Causes and Sources of Impairment

Causes	Use Support	Cause Magnitude	Sources	Source Magnitude
Nutrients	Aquatic Life Support	Moderate	Source Unknown	Moderate
Nutrients	Primary Contact Recreation	Moderate	Source Unknown	Moderate
Organic enrichment/Low DO	Overall Use Support	Moderate	Agriculture Internal nutrient cycling (primarily lakes) Natural Sources	Moderate Moderate Slight
Organic enrichment/Low DO	Aquatic Life Support	Moderate	Agriculture Internal nutrient cycling (primarily lakes) Natural Sources	Moderate Moderate Slight
Algal Grwth/Chlorophyll a	Overall Use Support	Not Impairing	Internal nutrient cycling (primarily lakes)	Moderate
Algal Grwth/Chlorophyll a	Aquatic Life Support	Not Impairing	Internal nutrient cycling (primarily lakes)	Moderate
Algal Grwth/Chlorophyll a	Primary Contact Recreation	Not Impairing	Internal nutrient cycling (primarily lakes)	Moderate
Noxious aquatic plants	Primary Contact Recreation	Not Impairing	Source Unknown	Not Impairing
Suspended solids	Primary Contact Recreation	Not Impairing	Source Unknown	Not Impairing