Little Buffalo Creek (aka North Buffalo Cr.) IA 04-EDM-988

Assessment Comments

No assessment.

Basis for Assessment

SUMMARY:  The Class B(LR) aquatic life uses are "not assessed" due to (1) lack of recent information on biological communities and (2) lack of fish kills during the most recent three-year period.   EXPLANATION:  The previous assessments of aquatic life uses were based on results of the Iowa DNR stream use assessment in 1992.   These data are now well over five years also and are no longer considered appropriate for characterizing current water quality conditions.   The previous assessment was also based, in part on a fish kill that occurred on this stream reach in September 1996.   According to IDNR's assessment methodology, however, the absence of a fish kill in the three-year period following a fish kill suggest that impacts from the kill have dissipated.   Thus, due to the lack of a subsequent kill in this stream reach over the last three years (1997, 1998, and 1999), and due to the lack of other water quality information upon which to base an assessment of support of the aquatic life uses, the previous assessment of the aquatic life uses was changed to "not assessed."