MBSS Site Summary for: CE-N-029-206-96


Located on PRINCIPIO CR in the Furnace Bay watershed, 8-digit code: 02130609.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/19/1996 and again in the summer on 8/6/1996.

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 10,248 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 0.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 50.4 %
Forested Land Use 43.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 19/20 (Optimal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 30 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.19
Conductivity 130 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		348.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.4 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 16 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Common Shiner 159
Rosyside Dace 88
River Chub 78
Cutlip Minnow 70
Margined Madtom 47
Blacknose Dace 38
American Eel 37
Tessellated Darter 28
White Sucker 15
Creek Chub 13
Northern Hogsucker 8
Swallowtail Shiner 6
Largemouth Bass 3
Pumpkinseed 2
Redbreast Sunfish 2
Blue Ridge Sculpin 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 32
Prosimulium Black Fly 22
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 21
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 7
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 4
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 3
Epeorus Mayfly 2
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 1
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 1
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 1
Hydrobaenus Midge 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Paracapnia Small Winter Stonefly 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.