MBSS Site Summary for: CORS-131-X-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CORS-131-X-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CORS-131-X-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT Mill Stream Branch in the Corsica River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130507.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/12/2009 and again in the summer on 6/19/2009.

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 Poor - 1.9 / 5.0

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 819 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 1 %
Agricultural Land Use 92 %
Forested Land Use 5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 66 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 11 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 10 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.24
Conductivity 220 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1385.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 8.0398 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 33
Tessellated Darter 19
American Eel 9
Green Sunfish 9
Eastern Mosquitofish 4
Creek Chubsucker 3
Fathead Minnow 3
Redbreast Sunfish 2
Rosyside Dace 2
Golden Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Box Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Northern Watersnake
Pickerel Frog
Redbelly Turtle

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Common Reed (Phragmites)
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 38
Gammarus Amphipod 17
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 7
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 7
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 6
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 5
Orthocladiinae Midge 4
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 3
Prosimulium Black Fly 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 2
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 1
Rheocricotopus 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.