MBSS Site Summary for: BRET-450-H-2009


Located on Macintosh Run in the Breton Bay watershed, 8-digit code: 02140104.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/1/2009 and again in the summer on 8/12/2009.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 17,422 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 4.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 26.2 %
Forested Land Use 67.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 17/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 70 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 7 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 40 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 24.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.09
Conductivity 91 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		381.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.0183 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Redbreast Sunfish 72
Spottail Shiner 50
Tessellated Darter 42
American Eel 17
Green Sunfish 7
Margined Madtom 7
Eastern Mudminnow 6
Swallowtail Shiner 5
Largemouth Bass 3
Pirate Perch 2
Pumpkinseed 2
Bluegill 1
Yellow Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle
Northern Spring Peeper
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Simulium Black Fly 17
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 17
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 14
Neophylax Caddisfly 8
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 5
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 5
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Eurylophella Mayfly 4
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Gammarus Amphipod 3
Hexatoma Crane Fly 3
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Hydrobaenus Midge 2
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 2
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Hyalella Amphipod 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Leucrocuta Mayfly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 1
Musculium Fingernail Clam 1
Siphlonurus Gray Drake Mayfly 1
Chloroperlidae Green Stonefly 1
Haploperla Green Stonefly 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 1
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Agapetus Tiny Black Short-Horned Caddisfly 1
Taeniopteryx Winter Stonefly 1
Lumbriculidae 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.