MBSS Site Summary for: BRET-107-B-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BRET-107-B-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BRET-107-B-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Miski Run UT1 in the Breton Bay watershed, 8-digit code: 02140104.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/26/2007 and again in the summer on 6/20/2007.

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 Poor - 1.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 117 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 6.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 80.3 %
Forested Land Use 12.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 6/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 65 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 10 meters 		4/20 (Poor)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 80 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 80%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.79
Conductivity 239 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		599.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.6799 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 290
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Cricket Frog
Eastern Mud Turtle
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes

Exotic Plants:
English Ivy
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
Privet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 22
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 11
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 11
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 9
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Orthocladiinae Midge 5
Hydrobaenus Midge 4
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 4
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 3
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Trissopelopia Non-Biting Midges 3
Chironomini Non-Biting Midge 3
Isotomurus Elongate-Bodied Springtail 3
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 3
Diamesa Bloodworm 2
Hexatoma Crane Fly 2
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 2
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 2
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 2
Microvelia Small Water Strider Beetle 1
Xylotopus Midge 1
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 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.