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Assessment Comments

1991 stream use assessment in Muscatine County. 1981 ISU fish survey just downstream from Old Pine Creek Mill.

Basis for Assessment

Used a review of the field sheet from the September 1991 DNR stream use assessment in Muscatine County to continue to assess suport of the Class B(WW) aquatic life uses as FST due to (1) presence of a majority of the expected fish taxa (5 of 9) for streams in the Southern Iowa Rolling Loess Prairies subecoregion (47f), (2) indications of above average habitat quality, including very diverse substrates, several pool/riffle sequences, and no channel alterations, and (3) presence of a moderately diverse fish community (8 species from 2 families) for this region.  Comparison results from the 1991 DNR stream use asessment to a July 1981 fish survey conducted by Iowa State University (JRO-118-1981) suggests either a decline in the biological integrity of the lower reach of Pine Creek or an incomplete sampling during the 1991 assessment.  That is, the 1981 ISU survey found a very diverse fish community (17 species from 6 families) with all the expected fish taxa (9 of 9) present for this subregion.  Additional monitoring is needed to update this assessment and to better define the status of the aquatic communties and habitats of this stream reach.