MBSS Site Summary for: CHRI-105-R-2016

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CHRI-105-R-2016_midpoint downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CHRI-105-R-2016_midpoint upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on West Branch in the Christina River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130607.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/16/2016 and again in the summer on 8/15/2016.

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 - 2.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 886 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 12.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 51.3 %
Forested Land Use 32.1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 64 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 15 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 6.85
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		380.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.018 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 78
Tessellated Darter 44
Creek Chub 40
Eastern Mudminnow 34
White Sucker 14
Creek Chubsucker 11
Pumpkinseed 11
Fallfish 7
Redbreast Sunfish 5
American Eel 2
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Snapping Turtle
New Jersey Chorus Frog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Autumn Olive
Japanese Hops
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 31
Stenelmis Beetle 17
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 8
Hydrobaenus Midge 7
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 5
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 4
Orthocladiinae Midge 4
Prosimulium Black Fly 4
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 3
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 3
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 3
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 3
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 1
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Probezzia Biting Midges 1
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Anafroptilum Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Dytiscidae Predaceous Diving Beetle 1
Macronychus Riffle Beetle 1
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 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.