MBSS Site Summary for: BRET-108-H-2009


Located on Greenhill Run in the Breton Bay watershed, 8-digit code: 02140104.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/16/2009 and again in the summer on 7/15/2009.

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 N R
Benthic IBI N R

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 470 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 6.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 38.5 %
Forested Land Use 54.1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat

Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 64 meters
11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 11 meters
11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 45 %


Stream Water Quality:

Water temperature 18.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.1 mg/L
Conductivity 133 µmho/cm

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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Redbreast Sunfish 6
American Eel 5
Eastern Mudminnow 5
Tessellated Darter 3
Creek Chubsucker 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:

Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:

Japanese Barberry
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Tree Of Heaven
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Benthic data unavailable.
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.