MBSS Site Summary for: ATKI-102-X-2016  


Located on Wheel Creek in the Atkisson Reservoir watershed, 8-digit code: 02130703.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/5/2016 and again in the summer on 7/13/2016.

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 N R
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 146 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 82.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 0 %
Forested Land Use 13.1 %


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 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 38 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 37 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 40 %
Embeddedness 20 %


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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 430
Creek Chub 147
Blue Ridge Sculpin 45
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
English Ivy
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Tree Of Heaven
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 61
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 27
Orthocladiinae Midge 9
Naididae Aquatic Worm 7
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 5
Diamesa Bloodworm 3
Diamesinae Non-Biting Midges 3
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 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.