The purpose of this plan is to consolidate information regarding streams and stream fish populations within the Grand River Basin. The size and complexity of the basin combined with limited existing information requires this document to be very general. The Grand River Basin is located in northwest Missouri and southwest Iowa. The watershed consists of 7,900 square miles with over three-fourths of this area in Missouri. The basin is best characterized as rural with a declining population and no major urban areas.
Land use is predominantly agricultural with cropland the largest component.
The basin contains more than 1,000 third-order and larger streams. Streams within the basin are typically turbid. Historical accounts indicate many basin streams have always been muddy. Even under pristine conditions it is unclear whether current water quality standards for turbidity would be achieved. Water quality standards for iron, magnesium and fecal coliform bacteria are frequently exceeded.