MBSS Site Summary for: ATKI-105-B-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site ATKI-105-B-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site ATKI-105-B-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on EAST BRANCH in the Atkisson Reservoir watershed, 8-digit code: 02130703.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/6/2008 and again in the summer on 7/17/2008.

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 - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 2,721 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 4 %
Agricultural Land Use 67.5 %
Forested Land Use 27.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 65 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 15 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.3
Conductivity 164 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		450.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.7508 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 17 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 284
Creek Chub 194
Rosyside Dace 146
White Sucker 120
Blue Ridge Sculpin 103
Common Shiner 98
Blacknose Dace 54
Tessellated Darter 50
Fallfish 37
Cutlip Minnow 30
Northern Hogsucker 29
River Chub 9
Bluegill 6
Margined Madtom 4
Longnose Dace 3
Fathead Minnow 1
Smallmouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
Eastern Red-Backed Salamander
Northern Dusky Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 20
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 14
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 11
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 10
Prosimulium Black Fly 6
Hydrobaenus Midge 6
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 6
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 5
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 5
Naididae Aquatic Worm 4
Tipula Crane Fly 3
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 3
Limnodrilus Worm 3
Trissopelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 2
Stilocladius Midge 2
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 2
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Gomphus Clubtail Dragonfly 1
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Microcylloepus Riffle Beetle 1
Tanypodinae 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.