Iowa DNR
Iowa DNR
ADBNet
Water Quality Assessments
Impaired Waters List

Crystal Lake IA 02-IOW-781

Hancock County S15T97NR25W at Crystal Lake.

Cycle
2022
Release Status
Final
Overall IR
4 - Water is impaired or threatened and a TMDL has been completed or is not needed.
Trophic
Hypereutrophic
Trend
Stable
Created
12/22/2021 9:54:56 AM
Updated
2/17/2022 9:28:10 AM
Use Support
Class A1
Recreation - Primary contact
Not Supported
Support Level
Not Supported
Impairment Code
4a - Pollutant-caused impairment. TMDL has been completed.
Cause Magnitude
High
Status
Continuing
Source
Natural: Internal Nutrient Recycling (Primarily Lakes)
Source Confidence
High
Cycle Added
2000
Impairment Rationale
Narrative criteria violation: aesthetically objectionable conditions
Data Source
Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-lakes
Support Level
Not Supported
Impairment Code
4a - Pollutant-caused impairment. TMDL has been completed.
Cause Magnitude
High
Status
Continuing
Source
Other: Sediment Resuspension
Source Confidence
High
Cycle Added
2000
Impairment Rationale
Narrative criteria violation: aesthetically objectionable conditions
Data Source
Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-lakes
Class BLW
Aquatic Life - Lakes and wetlands
WINOFI
Impairment Code
3b - Use potentially impaired based on an evaluated assessment.
Cause Magnitude
Moderate
Status
Continuing
Source
Natural: Ordinary Stratification and Bottom-Water Hypoxia/Anoxia
Source Confidence
Moderate
Cycle Added
2016
Impairment Rationale
Non Pollutant-caused fish kill
Data Source
Fish kill investigation: Iowa DNR
Impairment Code
3b - Use potentially impaired based on an evaluated assessment.
Cause Magnitude
Slight
Status
Continuing
Source
Unknown: Source Unknown
Source Confidence
N/A
Cycle Added
2018
Impairment Rationale
Adverse impacts on plant/animal communities
Data Source
Ambient monitoring: Iowa DNR-lakes
Class HH
Human Health -
Fully Supported
Impairment Delistings
No delistings for this assessment cycle.
Documentation
Assessment Summary

The Class A1 use was assessed (monitored) as “not supported” due to aesthetically objectionable conditions caused by poor water transparency and nuisance blooms of algae. The Class BLW use was assessed (evaluated) as “WINOFI” due to a fish kill due to natural causes and high cyanobacteria concentrations. The Class HH (fish consumption) use was assessed as "fully supported" based on fish tissue sampling data. Note: A TMDL for organic enrichment at Crystal Lake was prepared by DNR and approved by EPA in 2002; thus, this waterbody was placed into IR Category 4a (TMDL approved). Because all of the Section 303(d) impairments identified for this assessment/listing cycle, it remains listed as Category 4a (TMDL approved) for this assessment/listing cycle.

Assessment Explanation

Data Sources:

Data Source

Data Source ID

Data Type

Data Age

Site ID

Site Name

Site Description

Iowa DNR

6

WQ

CY 2016-2020

22410001

Crystal Lake Max Depth

Iowa DNR

6

FT

See Below

292

Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake Roadside Park / Crystal Hills WMA

Class A1 - Indicator Bacteria: No Data

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

22410001

6

15 / 5

8.3

9.1

8.7

1

4

NO

Monitored

Full

Crystal Lake was assessed as "not supported" for the 2008 assessment/listing cycle due to frequent violations of the state Class A1 criterion for pH. Based on DNR’s assessment methodology 2 consecutive assessment/listing cycles without significantly greater than 10% of the samples violating the single-sample maximum criterion are necessary to propose delisting based on pH violations. There were less than 10% of the samples exceeding the single-sample maximum criterion for the 2020 and the current 2022 assessment listing cycle. Therefore, the impairment for pH is suggested for delisting for the 2022 assessment/listing cycle.

Class A1 - Lake TSI's

Site ID

Data Source ID

Parameter Name

# Samples / # Years

Minimum Value

Maximum Value

Median Value

Median TSI Violation?

Assessment Type

Support Level

22410001

6

Chlorophyll a TSI

15 / 5

36

82

65

YES

Monitored

Not

22410001

6

Secchi TSI

15 / 5

51

77

73

YES

Monitored

Not

22410001

6

Total Phosphorus TSI

15 / 5

51

86

76

NA

NA

NA

22410001

6

Inorganic suspended solids

15 / 5

0.4

46

4

NA

NA

NA

Class BLW - Conventional 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

22410001

6

Ammonia

15 / 5

0.0003

0.167

0.04

NA

0 / 0

4

NO

Monitored

Full

22410001

6

Dissolved Oxygen

14 / 5

4.4

12.3

8.5

1

NA / NA

4

NO

Monitored

Full

22410001

6

pH

15 / 5

8.3

9.1

8.7

1

NA / NA

4

NO

Monitored

Full

22410001

6

Temperature

15 / 5

14.2

29.1

23.1

0

NA / NA

4

NO

Monitored

Full

Crystal Lake was assessed as "not supported" for the 2008 assessment/listing cycle due to frequent violations of the state Class A1 criterion for pH. Based on DNR’s assessment methodology 2 consecutive assessment/listing cycles without significantly greater than 10% of the samples violating the single-sample maximum criterion are necessary to propose delisting based on pH violations. There were less than 10% of the samples exceeding the single-sample maximum criterion for the 2020 and the current 2022 assessment listing cycle. Therefore, the impairment for pH is suggested for delisting for the 2022 assessment/listing cycle.

Class BLW - Lake Planktonic Cyanobacteria:

Site ID

Data Source ID

# Samples

Maximum Cyanobacteria Wet Mass

Maximum Cyanobacteria % Composition

Median Cyanobacteria Wet Mass

Median Cyanobacteria % Composition

Median Cyanobacteria Concentration = 75th Percentile

Assessment Type

Support Level

22410001

6

5

273.58

99.2%

81.58

96.1%

YES

Evaluated

3b

Class BLW - Fish Kill:

The Class BLW use was assessed (evaluated) as “WINOFI” based on results of a fish kill investigation in October of 2015. Because the cause of the fish kill was not identified, or the fish kill was attributed to a non-pollutant cause (e.g., winterkill), the assessment type is “evaluated.” Segments assessed using “evaluated” assessments are placed in Category 3b and are added to the state list of waters in need of further investigation. If no additional fish kills are reported in the segment for a 10 year period, the Category will be changed from 3b to 3a (water not assessed).

Details about the 2015 fish kill can be found here:https://programs.iowadnr.gov/fishkill/Events/888,https://programs.iowadnr.gov/fishkill/Events/821

Class HH - Fish Tissue Sampling:

Site ID

Biopart

Year

Species

# in sample / # of samples

Avg Length (cm)

(Avg) Hg (ppm)

Chlordane (ppm)

Sum PCBs (ppm)

292

tissue plug

2020

northern pike

2

66.4

0.156

292

tissue plug

2019

northern pike

8

61.9

0.165

292

tissue plug

2020

walleye

1

51.1

0.223

292

tissue plug

2019

walleye

1

44.2

0.192

Support Level

Full

Monitoring and Methods
Assessment Key Dates
8/17/2020
Fixed Monitoring End Date
8/28/2009
Fish Kill
6/8/2016
Fixed Monitoring Start Date
10/22/2015
Fish Kill
7/9/2015
Fish Kill
10/28/2002
TMDL Completed
7/1/2019
Fish Tissue Monitoring
7/1/2020
Fish Tissue Monitoring
Methods
120
Surveys of fish and game biologists/other professionals
140
Incidence of spills and/or fish kills
222
Non-fixed-station monitoring (conventional during key seasons and flows)
260
Fish tissue analysis
340
Primary producer surveys (phytoplankton/periphyton/macrophyton)