North Skunk River IA 03-NSK-859

Assessment Comments

Stream use assessment in Poweshiek county.

Basis for Assessment

Used a review of the field sheet from the November 1994 DNR stream use assessment in Poweshiek County to continue to assess support of the Class B(LR) aquatic life uses as PS due to (1) a fish community with relatively low diversity (6 species from 2 families) for streams in the Mississippi River portion of the Southern Iowa Rolling Loess Prairies subecoregion, (2) presence of less than a majority of the expected fish taxa (3 of 8) for streams in this subregion, and (3) indications of below average aquatic habitats (see above assessment developed for the 1996 report).   Relatively poor results for sampling of the fish community may be partially due to the late season (November) sampling.   Follow-up monitoring is needed to better determine the status of the aquatic communities and habitata and to determine the degree to which the Class B(LR) uses may be impaired.