MBSS Site Summary for: CASS-299-H-2010

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CASS-299-H-2010-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CASS-299-H-2010-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on South Branch Casselman River in the Casselman River watershed, 8-digit code: 05020204.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/5/2010 and again in the summer on 6/3/2010.

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 N R

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 12,629 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 3.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 17.8 %
Forested Land Use 76.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 65 %
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:
pH (lab) 7.27
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		177 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.239 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chub 44
White Sucker 17
Pumpkinseed 11
Northern Hogsucker 9
Rock Bass 8
River Chub 4
Blacknose Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Gartersnake
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus carinirostris
Cambarus dubius

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
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.