MBSS Site Summary for: AL-A-248-213-95


Located on SAWPIT RUN in the Town Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140512.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/28/1995 and again in the summer on 7/3/1995.

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Results:

An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is a scientific tool used to identify and classify stream health. An IBI associates anthropogenic influences on a stream or with biological condition in the stream, and is formulated using data developed from biosurveys.
Details on the development and application of MBSS IBIs are in this document.
Fish IBI Poor - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,497 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 9.7 %
Forested Land Use 90.3 %


Stream showing woody debris, logs, and rocky substrate.
An example of woody debris in a stream.

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 5/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 2/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 55 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.69
Conductivity 75 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		291 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2 mg/L

Biological Stream Condition:

Surveys of the organisms living within a stream can give indications of stream health. Species richness, or the number of different species present, as well as indicator species (species whose presence, absence or abundance can serve as a measure of environmental conditions) are informative for stream health. 		Close-up of a mayfly indicator species.

Fish Survey Results:
The following 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 67
Creek Chub 47
Creek Chubsucker 21
White Sucker 6
Bluntnose Minnow 4
Green Sunfish 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 21
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 14
Crangonyx Amphipod 11
Orthocladiinae Midge 9
Prosimulium Black Fly 5
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 3
Ephemeroptera Mayfly 3
Eurylophella Mayfly 3
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 2
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 2
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Limnephilus 2
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 2
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Oemopteryx Stonefly 1
Kick net sampling for macroinvertebrates.
Sampling with a kick net.

Information disclaimer: The information and data on this page is for guidance and general planning purposes only. It should not be used to make decisions on specific matters.