MBSS Site Summary for: BELK-301-X-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BELK-301-X-2000-15_17 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BELK-301-X-2000-15_18 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BELK-301-X-2000-15_19 (Opens in a new window)

Located on BIG ELK CR in the Upper Elk River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130603.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/25/2000 and again in the summer on 7/24/2000.

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 - 2.7 / 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 38,818 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 4.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 61.2 %
Forested Land Use 34.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 17/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 65 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 50 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 82 %
Embeddedness 40 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.43
Conductivity 180 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		458.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.9 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 20 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 94
Tessellated Darter 68
Swallowtail Shiner 52
White Sucker 50
Sea Lamprey 48
Blue Ridge Sculpin 21
Redbreast Sunfish 18
Margined Madtom 15
Northern Hogsucker 9
Satinfin Shiner 6
Largemouth Bass 5
Smallmouth Bass 5
Bluegill 4
Creek Chub 4
Pumpkinseed 2
Brown Bullhead 1
Common Shiner 1
Eastern Silvery Minnow 1
Striped Bass 1
White Perch 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

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

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 78
Orthocladiinae Midge 8
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 5
Simuliidae Black Fly 4
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Caenis Mayfly 2
Naididae Aquatic Worm 2
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 2
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 2
Potthastia Non-Biting Midges 2
Acentrella Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella 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.