MBSS Site Summary for: ATKI-003-X-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site ATKI-003-X-2017-MidpointFacingDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site ATKI-003-X-2017-MidpointFacingUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT Wheel Creek in the Atkisson Reservoir watershed, 8-digit code: 02130703.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/20/2017 and again in the summer on 6/29/2017.

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 - 2.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 105 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 75 %
Agricultural Land Use 2.3 %
Forested Land Use 22.7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 34 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 41 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 35 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
No water quality measurements available for this site.

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 2 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chub 133
Blacknose Dace 126
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Privet
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
POLYPEDILUM Non-Biting Midges 38
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 26
PARAMETRIOCNEMUS Non-Biting Midges 26
STENELMIS Beetle 9
CHEUMATOPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 7
THIENEMANNIMYIA GROUP Non-Biting Midges 5
RHEOTANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 4
TANYPODINAE Non-Biting Midges 1
TANYTARSINI Non-Biting Midges 1
TANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 1
DIPLECTRONA Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
CHAETOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 1
EMPIDIDAE Dance Fly 1
STENOCHIRONOMUS European Non-Biting Midge 1
CLINOCERA Aquatic Dance Fly 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.