MBSS Site Summary for: BELK-302-A-2012

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BELK-302-A-2012-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BELK-302-A-2012-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on BIG ELK CREEK in the Big Elk Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130606.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/6/2012 and again in the summer on 8/17/2012.

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 - 5.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.1 / 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 36,535 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 15.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 52.3 %
Forested Land Use 28.1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 40 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 35 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 40 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.66
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		497.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.5331 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 21 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Redbreast Sunfish 258
Swallowtail Shiner 243
Satinfin Shiner 159
Tessellated Darter 105
Spottail Shiner 96
American Eel 56
Sea Lamprey 53
Northern Hogsucker 44
Margined Madtom 30
Bluegill 28
White Sucker 24
Smallmouth Bass 23
Rosyface Shiner 21
Blue Ridge Sculpin 11
Pumpkinseed 9
Green Sunfish 8
Cutlip Minnow 6
Largemouth Bass 5
River Chub 5
Least Brook Lamprey 3
Redfin Pickerel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Mimosa
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Privet
Tree Of Heaven
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydrobaenus Midge 26
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 16
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 13
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 9
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 8
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 5
Crangonyx Amphipod 4
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 3
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 3
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 3
Orthocladiinae Midge 3
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 2
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 2
Prostoma Freshwater Nemertean (Ribbon Worm) 1
CERATOPOGONIDAE Biting Midge 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Macronychus Riffle Beetle 1
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 1
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 1
Polycentropus Tube Maker 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.