West Fork Crooked Creek IA 03-SKU-921

Assessment Comments

Stream use assessment.

Basis for Assessment

Used a review of field assessments from the November 1989 DNR surveys at four locations on this stream.  This review suggests that the Class B(LR) aquatic life uses are fully supported due to (1) presence of a moderately diverse fish community (up to 9 species from 3 families) for streams in the Southern Iowa Rolling Loess Prairies subecoregion (47f) and (2) presence of a majority of the expected fish taxa for this subregion (5 of 8 at three sites; 4 of 8 at the fourth).   Results of these surveys are likely biased low due to (1) use of seines in relatively deep water with occassional snags and (2) a very late season and cold-weather survey (mid-November).   The most siginficant threats to the continued support of the Class B(LR) uses are areas of channelization and removal of natural riparian vegetation.   The data upon which this assessment is based are nearly 10 years old.   Additional monitoring is needed to update this assessment and to determine the status of the aquatic communities and habitats.