MBSS Site Summary for: AL-A-425-314-96


Located on ELK LICK RUN in the Evitts Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02141002.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/8/1996 and again in the summer on 7/16/1996.

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 - 2.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 3,445 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 2.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 12.3 %
Forested Land Use 84.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 55 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 55%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.19
Conductivity 550 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		3922 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.4 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Central Stoneroller 346
Blacknose Dace 260
Creek Chub 99
Fantail Darter 73
Longnose Dace 41
Blue Ridge Sculpin 29
White Sucker 23
Potomac Sculpin 6
Rock Bass 3
Northern Hogsucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Simulium Black Fly 4
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanytarsini Non-Biting Midges 1
Paracapnia Small Winter Stonefly 1
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Psectrocladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Diamesa Bloodworm 1
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Stenelmis Beetle 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.