Results of monthly grab samples analyzed by City of Ames lab, from 15 streams in Story County.

Interactive maps showing which sites in DNR's AQuIA database met or exceed recreation standards, based on E. coli data from 2020-2023. This version does not include code or technical details.

Color coded map of E. coli geomeans for 2020-2023 recreational seasons, with R code and tables included.

Results from coordinated volunteer water monitoring events on Sept 19, 2023. Data was collected in Polk, Story, Boone, Hamilton, and Greene counties.

So far, just Polk County results Work in progress

Story County stream monitoring 2023

Results of monthly water testing of 15 streams in Story County, Iowa

Results from Ioway Creek spring and fall watershed snapshots, going back to 2006

Monitoring of Ioway Creek and its tributaries has gone on for more than a decade

Data collected by the City of Ames in the South Skunk River is used to show seasonal patterns in water quality that can help provide context for May and October water quality snapshots.

Results of monthly stream monitoring route in Story County, Iowa.

Comparisons between sites that were not sampled on the same schedule can be misleading

Scripts for comparing a site to a reference site. These sites in DNR's ambient stream monitoring network can be used as a reference for their upstream tributaries

Using DNR data to compare South Skunk River upstream and downstream of Squaw Creek.

WQP data for Story County

Surface water data from AQuIA database in Story County.

Number and timing of water quality tests by volunteers. South Skunk River HUC8 only.

The City of Ames has been monitoring the South Skunk River on a weekly basis above and below its wastewater treatment system, the Water Pollution Control Facility, since 2003. There is a lot that could be done with this rich dataset, but we’ll look nitrate and total phosphorus from Jan 2011 to Sept 2020 to illustrate the value of long-term monitoring, and to demonstrate the power paired same-day observations for finding patterns amid the noise of weather variation. Pairing is an strategy that can boost the statistical power of smaller datasets as well.

Preliminary results of county-wide stream monitoring

Version 1.1 Prairie Rivers of Iowa is working with Story County and other partners to develop a plan for long-term stream monitoring to support environmental education and conservation projects. An essential step is exploring the data already being collected by the Iowa DNR to provide context for upstream monitoring sites.