MBSS Site Summary for: CASS-101-R-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CASS-101-R-2000-01 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CASS-101-R-2000-02 (Opens in a new window)

Located on PINEY CR UT1 in the Casselman River watershed, 8-digit code: 05020204.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/6/2000 and again in the summer on 6/1/2000.

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 - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 375 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 1.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 40.4 %
Forested Land Use 57.3 %


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 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 72 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 15 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Shading 45 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.5
Conductivity 440 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		449.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.8 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 2 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chub 82
Blacknose Dace 59
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Northern Watersnake
Red-Spotted Newt

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 52
Prosimulium Black Fly 13
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 10
Diamesa Bloodworm 8
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 4
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 4
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 3
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Stagnicola Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Sialis Alderfly 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Culicoides 1
Psychoda 1
Parachaetocladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Physidae Physa Snail 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.