North Fork Maquoketa River IA 01-NMQ-91

confluence with Bear Cr (S31 T89NR2W Dubuque Co.) to confluence with unnamed tributary in S18 T90N R1W Dubuque 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 2020 - 2022
Stream/River Water Quality Data	CY 2020 - 2022
Lake Water Quality Data	CY 2018 - 2022
Biological Sampling Data	CY 2018 - 2022*
Fish Kill Data	CY 2018 - 2022
Fish Tissue Sampling Data	CY 2018 - 2022
Continuous Dissolved Oxygen Sampling Data	CY 2018 - 2022
*Biological sites sampled in both 2017 and 2021 were also assessed.

Open Segment Map
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Cycle: 2024
Release Status: Final
Overall IR: 4 - Water is impaired or threatened and a TMDL has been completed or is not needed.
Trend: Unknown
Created: 11/1/2023 8:12:28 AM
Updated: 1/16/2024 7:30:47 AM

Use Support

Class A1

Presumptive Use

Recreation - Primary contact

Not Assessed

Class BWW2

Aquatic Life - Warm Water Type 2

Not Supported

Fish Kill: Caused By Fertilizer Spill

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

4a - Pollutant-caused impairment. TMDL has been completed.

Cause Magnitude

High

Status

Continuing

Source

Agriculture

Source Confidence

N/A

Cycle Added

1998

Impairment Rationale

Pollutant-caused fish kill

Data Source

Fish kill investigation: Iowa DNR

Fish Kill: Caused By Animal Waste

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

4a - Pollutant-caused impairment. TMDL has been completed.

Cause Magnitude

High

Status

Continuing

Source

Agriculture

Source Confidence

N/A

Cycle Added

1998

Impairment Rationale

Pollutant-caused fish kill

Data Source

Fish kill investigation: Iowa DNR

Biological: low Biological Integrity

Support Level

Not Supported

Impairment Code

4a - Pollutant-caused impairment. TMDL has been completed.

Cause Magnitude

High

Status

Continuing

Source

Agriculture

Source Confidence

Moderate

Cycle Added

2020

Impairment Rationale

Low Biotic Index

Data Source

Biological monitoring: Iowa DNR WQMA

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The Class BWW2 use was assessed as “not supported” based on biological sampling data and also due to multiple fish kill investigations. All other designated uses were "not assessed." Note: A TMDL for this biological impairment was approved by U.S. EPA in April 2007. Due to the completion and approval of the TMDL, the Category for the Class BWW2 use was changed from 5a (impaired; TMDL needed) to 4a (impaired; TMDL approved).

Assessment Explanation

Data Sources:

Data Source	Data Source ID	Data Type	Data Age	Site ID	Site Name	Site Description
Iowa DNR	6	BIO	See Below	262	North Fork Maquoketa River	Dyersville – TMDL #28
Iowa DNR	6	BIO	See Below	263	North Fork Maquoketa River	New Vienna – TMDL #29

Presumptive Class A1 – No Data

Class BWW2 - Biological Sampling:

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

BioNet Site ID	Date	Drainage Area (mi2)	Ecoregion	Major Drainage	BM Sample Gear	BMIBI score	BMIBI Class	47c BMIBI BIT	BMIBI Pass/Fail
262	7/25/05	39	47c	MS	Hess	25	Poor	70	Fail
263	7/28/05	26	47c	MS	Hess	45	Fair	70	Fail

Fish:

BioNet Site ID	Date	Drainage Area (mi2)	Ecoregion	Major Drainage	Riffle Stream?	FIBI score	FIBI Class	47c FIBI BIT	FIBI Pass/Fail
262	7/27/05	39	47c	MS	No	36	Fair	44	Fail
263	7/28/05	26	47c	MS	No	37	Fair	44	Fail

Overall Assessment:

Community	Assessment Type	Assessment Result	Support Level	IR Category	Reason
Benthic Macroinvertebrates	Evaluated	Fail (0/2)	Not
Fish	Evaluated	Fail (0/2)	Not		Assessment was evaluated because samples were not collected
Overall	Evaluated	Fail	Not	4a	in multiple years in a recent five year period.

Class BWW2 - Fish kill Assessment:

The Class BWW2 use assessment based on the four fish kills from 2004-2008 placed this segment in Category 4a. The fish kills were caused by a “pollutant” or was suspected to be caused by a “pollutant”; therefore, the Class BWW2 use was considered impaired. Due to uncertainty regarding the recovery of the aquatic life following the fish kill, any existing fish kill 5b impairment will remain in Category 5b until more recent sampling has shown recovery of the aquatic community or the responsible party has paid restitution. However, because a TMDL was completed for the biological impairment in this segment, the fish kill Class BWW2 assessment was placed in Category 4a for the 2008 assessment/listing cycle and remain in Category 4a.

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

7/6/2004

Fish Kill

7/25/2005

Biological Monitoring

7/25/2006

Fish Kill

1/29/2007

Fish Kill

9/15/2008

Fish Kill

7/28/2005

Biological Monitoring

7/27/2005

Biological Monitoring

4/30/2007

TMDL Completed

Methods

120

Surveys of fish and game biologists/other professionals

140

Incidence of spills and/or fish kills

150

Monitoring data more than 5 years old

315

Regional reference site approach

320

Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys

330

Fish surveys