MBSS Site Summary for: ATKI-104-R-2016

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site ATKI_104_R_2016_Mid-point facing downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site ATKI_104_R_2016_Mid-point facing upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT West Branch Winters Run in the Atkisson Reservoir watershed, 8-digit code: 02130703.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/10/2016 and again in the summer on 8/17/2016.

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 Good - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 563 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 26.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 59.6 %
Forested Land Use 12.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 34 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 41 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 60 %
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:
pH (lab) 6.81
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		310.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.9938 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 317
Blacknose Dace 129
Creek Chub 55
Rosyside Dace 35
Longnose Dace 18
Fallfish 8
Bluegill 7
Cutlip Minnow 5
Largemouth Bass 4
White Sucker 3
Common Shiner 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

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

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 20
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 15
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 11
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 11
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 9
Prosimulium Black Fly 8
Simulium Black Fly 6
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 4
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 3
Antocha Crane Fly 3
Glossosoma Little Black Caddisfly 3
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 2
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 2
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 1
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 1
Promoresia Riffle Beetle 1
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 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.