Bear Creek IA 03-SSK-958

The Class B(WW2) aquatic life uses are assessed (evaluated) as “fully supporting” based on data collected in 2007, 2008 and 2013 as part of the DNR/SHL stream biological sampling project. 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 71 (excellent) and the BMIBI score was 71 (good). The 2008 FIBI score was 55 (good) and the BMIBI score was 68 (good). The 2013 BMIBI score was 66 (good) and the FIBI score was unavailable. 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 non-riffle habitat FIBI BIC for this ecoregion is 32 and the BMIBI BIC for this ecoregion is 62. This segment passed the FIBI BIC 2/2 times and passed the BMIBI BIC 3/3 times in the last 10 years. 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 now considered "evaluated" based on a change in the 2010 DNR assessment methodology. DNR now requires a segment have two or more biological samples collected from the segment in multiple years in the most recent five year period (2012-2016) to be considered “monitored”. This segment had multiple samples collected in the previous10 years (2007-2016).