Bear Creek IA 03-SSK-958

mouth to north line of S32 T85N R23W Story 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: 2 - Some of the designated uses are met but there is insufficient data to determine if remaining designated uses are met.
Trend: Unknown
Created: 11/1/2023 8:12:56 AM
Updated: 2/1/2024 6:59:46 AM

Use Support

Class A1

Presumptive Use

Recreation - Primary contact

WINOFI

Bacteria: Indicator Bacteria- E. coli

Support Level

Further Investigation Needed

Impairment Code

3b - Use potentially impaired based on an evaluated assessment.

Cause Magnitude

Slight

Status

New

Source

Unknown: Source Unknown

Source Confidence

Low

Cycle Added

2024

Impairment Rationale

Geometric mean criterion exceeded

Data Source

Special project/study

Class BWW2

Aquatic Life - Warm Water Type 2

Fully Supported

Impairment Delistings

No delistings for this assessment cycle.

Documentation

Assessment Summary

The presumptive Class A1 use was assessed as "WINOFI" based on E. coli sampling data. The Class BWW2 use was assessed as "fully supported" based on biological sampling data.

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	114	Bear Creek	Skunk River Greenbelt - Ames
Prairie Rivers/City of Ames	26	WQ	CY 2021-2022	99990160	Bear Creek	Bear Creek at Pleasant Valley Road

Class A1 - Indicator Bacteria:

Site ID

Data Source ID

# Samples per Year (2020/ 2021/2022)

2020 Geometric Mean

2021 Geometric Mean

2022 Geometric Mean

Violates Annual Geometric Mean?

# 2020 SSM violations / SSM Violations needed for impairment

# 2021 SSM violations / SSM Violations needed for impairment

# 2022 SSM violations / SSM Violations needed for impairment

Violates Annual SSM Significantly >10% Rule?

Assessment Type

Support Level

99990160

0/7/7

159

230

YES

3 / 3

4 / 3

YES

Evaluated

WINOFI

The bacteria samples were collected by the Prairie Rivers Watershed Group and Story County Conservation with the analyses conducted by the City of Ames. Since the data were not collected under a DNR-approved quality assurance plan, the assessment was considered "evaluated" instead of "monitored." According to Iowa DNR’s assessment/listing methodology, impairments based on “evaluated” assessments are of lesser confidence and are not appropriate for Section 303(d) listing (Category 5 of the Integrated Report). The Iowa DNR does, however, consider these impairments as appropriate for listing under Category 3b of the Integrated Report (waters potentially impaired and in need of further investigation).

Class BWW2 - Biological Sampling:

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

BioNet Site ID	Date	Drainage Area (mi2)	Ecoregion	Major Drainage/Thermal	BM Sample Gear	BMIBI score	BMIBI Class	47b BMIBI BIT	BMIBI Pass/Fail
114	7/19/17	28.2	47b	MS/WW	Surber	71	Good	62	Pass

Fish:

BioNet Site ID	Date	Drainage Area (mi2)	Ecoregion	Major Drainage/Thermal	Riffle Stream?	FIBI score	FIBI Class	47b FIBI BIT	FIBI Pass/Fail
114	7/16/21	28.2	47b	MS/WW	No	34	Fair	32	Pass
114	7/19/17	28.2	47b	MS/WW	No	46	Fair	32	Pass

Overall:

Community	Assessment Type	Assessment Result	Support Level	IR Category	Reason
Benthic Macroinvertebrates	Evaluated	Pass (1/1)	Full
Fish	Monitored	Pass (2/2)	Full		Assessment was monitored because the FIBI samples used for
Overall	Monitored	Pass	Full	1	the assessment were collected in a recent five year period.

Monitoring and Methods

Assessment Key Dates

7/19/2017

Biological Monitoring

7/16/2021

Biological Monitoring

3/17/2021

Monitoring Start

10/19/2022

Monitoring End

Methods

150

Monitoring data more than 5 years old

315

Regional reference site approach

320

Benthic macroinvertebrate surveys

330

Fish surveys

420

Indicator bacteria monitoring

860

Other Agencies/Organizations provided monitoring data