MBSS Site Summary for: CE-P-081-106-96


Located on LITTLE ELK CR in the Little Elk Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130605.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/21/1996 and again in the summer on 8/14/1996.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 13,840 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 3.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 68.8 %
Forested Land Use 27 %


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 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 60 %
Embeddedness 25 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.25
Conductivity 147 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		631.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.5 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 14 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 53
Blue Ridge Sculpin 37
River Chub 20
Longnose Dace 14
Margined Madtom 12
Common Shiner 9
Creek Chub 5
White Sucker 5
Cutlip Minnow 4
Tessellated Darter 4
Blacknose Dace 2
Rosyside Dace 2
Satinfin Shiner 1
Smallmouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 32
Prosimulium Black Fly 26
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 10
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 3
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 3
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 3
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Centroptilum Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 1
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 1
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 1
Epeorus Mayfly 1
Serratella Mayfly 1
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 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.