MBSS Site Summary for: BRET-313-H-2009


Located on Brooks Run in the Breton Bay watershed, 8-digit code: 02140104.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/17/2009 and again in the summer on 7/29/2009.

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 3,273 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 11.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 28.2 %
Forested Land Use 59.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 3/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.7 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.7 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
Conductivity 84 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 15 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluegill 31
Golden Shiner 20
American Eel 17
Pumpkinseed 9
Eastern Mudminnow 8
Creek Chubsucker 3
Green Sunfish 3
Redbreast Sunfish 3
Chain Pickerel 2
Brown Bullhead 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Least Brook Lamprey 1
Margined Madtom 1
Pirate Perch 1
Tessellated Darter 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

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.