MBSS Site Summary for: ATKI-105-X-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site ATKI-105-X-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site ATKI-105-X-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT Atkisson Reservoir (Wheel Creek) in the Atkisson Reservoir watershed, 8-digit code: 02130703.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/21/2009 and again in the summer on 7/8/2009.

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 - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.7 / 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 107 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 62.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 19.9 %
Forested Land Use 17.4 %


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 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 62 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 17 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 40 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.37
Conductivity 423 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1275.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.624 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chub 317
Blacknose Dace 132
Blue Ridge Sculpin 7
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
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
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 37
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 24
Stenelmis Beetle 11
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 4
Orthocladiinae Midge 4
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 4
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Limnodrilus Worm 1
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Erioptera Cranefly 1
Endochironomus 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.