North Fork Maquoketa River IA 01-NMQ-91

Assessment Comments

1991 stream use assessment in Dubuque County. Fish kills at New Wine Park in 1994, 1995, and 1996. 1989 DNR survey.

Basis for Assessment

Due to no reports of fish kills during the period August 1996 to August 1998, would upgrade the assessment of support of the Class B(LR) aquatic life uses from PS to FST.* A review of the field sheet from the October 1991 DNR stream use assessment, & the 1989 DNR survey at New Wine Park in Dubuque County, however, suggests that the Class B(LR) aquatic life uses are partially supported due to (1) presence of relatively low fish community diversity at both locations (species/families: 4/1 (1991, seine); 6/3 (1989, shock)) for streams in the Iowan Surface subecoregion (47c), (2) presence of less than a majority of the expected fish taxa at both locations (3 of 12 (1991); 5 of 12 (1989), and (3) a history of fish kills in this stream reach.   The relatively low aquatic diversity in this stream reach may be due to other factors; e.g., notes on the field sheet from the 1991 stream use assessment indicate abundant growth of watercress near the upstream boundary of the Class B(LR) reach, thus suggesting inflows of coldwater to the stream.   Based on habitat evlauations, however, the low diversity is not due to poor quality aquatic habitats.  Follow-up monitoring is needed to update this assessment, to better define the status of the aquatic communities, and to determine the degree to which the Class B(LR) uses may be impaired.