Heather Branch IA 03-SKU-901

mouth (NE 1/4 S28 T71N R6W Henry Co.) to headwaters in NE1/4 S14 T71N R6W Henry 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: 5/2/2019 9:14:46 AM
Updated: 5/2/2019 9:17:45 AM

Use Support

Class A1

Presumptive Use

Recreation - Primary contact

Not Assessed

Class BWW1

Presumptive Use

Aquatic Life - Warm Water Type 1

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 presumptive Class B(WW1) aquatic life uses are assessed (evaluated) as "fully supported" based on results of DNR/SHL biological sampling in 1998.

Assessment Explanation

The aquatic life uses remain assessed as "fully supported" based on results of the DNR/SHL biological sampling conducted on this stream segment in 1998. As stated in the assessment for the 2000 reporting cycle, only fish data were collected and analyzed; the FIBI score was 72 (good). The aquatic life use support status was assessed (evaluated) as fully supporting (=FS), based on a comparison of the FIBI score with biological impairment criteria (BIC) established from a statistical analysis of data collected at stream ecoregion reference sites from 1994-2008. The FIBI BIC for this ecoregion is 33. Even though this site passed the FIBI BIC, it is uncertain as to whether or not this segment is meeting the aquatic life criteria because it is a small headwater stream and doesn’t fall in the calibrated watershed size.

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

10/14/1998

Biological Monitoring

Methods

150

Monitoring data more than 5 years old

315

Regional reference site approach

330

Fish surveys