Elk River IA 01-MAQ-9

from N. Br. Elk R. to confluence with unnamed tributary in S32 T84N R6E Jackson Co.

Open Data Collection Period Modal

For purposes of developing stream/river water quality assessments for integrated reporting, three years of water quality data are typically used for both conventional pollutant parameters (e.g., indicator bacteria) and the less frequently monitored toxic parameters (e.g., toxic metals). Since the 2004 IR cycle, DNR has used a three-year data gathering period for streams, rivers, and beaches. For most assessments, the use of three years of data increases the number of samples upon which the decision on use support is based and helps address the problem of weather-related year-to-year fluctuations in water quality.

Due to the lower sampling frequency in Iowa’s ambient lake, biological, fish kill, and fish tissue monitoring programs, five years of data are used for developing IR assessments and for identifying Section 303(d) listings.

Data Type	Data Timeframe
Beach Sampling Data	CY 2014 - 2016
Stream/River Water Quality Data	CY 2014 - 2016
Lake Water Quality Data	CY 2012 - 2016
Biological Sampling Data	CY 2012 - 2016*
Fish Kill Data	CY 2012 - 2016
Fish Tissue Sampling Data	CY 2012 - 2016
Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Sampling Data	CY 2012 - 2016
*Biological sites sampled in both 2011 and 2015 were also assessed.

Open Segment Map
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Cycle: 2018
Release Status: Final
Overall IR: 2 - Some of the designated uses are met but there is insufficient data to determine if remaining designated uses are met.
Trend: Unknown
Created: 5/8/2019 2:46:49 PM
Updated: 5/8/2019 2:48:48 PM

Use Support

Class A1

Presumptive Use

Recreation - Primary contact

Not Assessed

Class BWW2

Aquatic Life - Warm Water Type 2

Fully Supported

General Use

General Use water -

Not Assessed

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The presumptive Class A1 (primary contact recreation) uses are "not assessed" due to the lack of information upon which to base an assessment. The Class B(WW2) aquatic life uses remain assessed (evaluated) as "fully supported" based on results of DNR/SHL biological sampling in 2007.

Assessment Explanation

This evaluated aquatic life assessment was based on 2007 DNR/SHL biological sampling data. A series of biological metrics which reflect stream water quality and habitat integrity were calculated from the biological sampling data. The biological metrics are based on the numbers and types of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa and fish species collected in the stream sampling reach. The biological metrics were combined to make a fish community index of biotic integrity (FIBI) and a benthic macroinvertebrate index (BMIBI). The indexes rank the biological integrity of a stream sampling reach on a rising scale from 0 (minimum) to 100 (maximum). The 2007 FIBI score was 29 (fair) and the BMIBI score was 50 (fair). The aquatic life use support was assessed as fully supporting (=FS), based on a comparison of the FIBI and BMIBI scores with biological impairment criteria (BIC) established for previous Section 305(b) reports. The FIBI BIC for this ecoregion is 36 and the BMIBI BIC for this ecoregion is 51. This segment met both BICs using the FIBI UAV of 7 points and the BMIBI UAV of 8 points. The biological impairment criteria were determined from a statistical analysis of biological data collected at stream ecoregion reference sites from 1994-2008.

This aquatic life assessment is considered "evaluated" because there were not two or more samples collected from this segment in multiple years during a five-year period. This segment had a single sample collected in 2007. Also, because these data are now considered too old (greater than five years) to accurately characterize current water quality conditions, the assessment category is considered “evaluated” (indicating an assessment with relatively lower confidence) as opposed to "monitored" (indicating an assessment with relatively higher confidence). However, despite this change in assessment methodology and type, this waterbody remains in IR Category 2a.

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

8/7/2007

Biological Monitoring

Methods

150

Monitoring data more than 5 years old

315

Regional reference site approach

320

Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys

330

Fish surveys

380

Quantitative physical habitat assessment