MBSS Site Summary for: CORS-212-X-2006


Located on Three Bridges Branch in the Corsica River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130507.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/4/2006 and again in the summer on 9/26/2006.

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 Fair - 3.6 / 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 4,838 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 2 %
Agricultural Land Use 71 %
Forested Land Use 26 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 40 %
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 17 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.47
Conductivity 287 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1264.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 8.1178 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 15 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Tessellated Darter 164
Least Brook Lamprey 30
American Eel 27
Redbreast Sunfish 23
Eastern Mudminnow 21
Fallfish 19
Pumpkinseed 15
White Sucker 10
Bluegill 9
Redfin Pickerel 9
Creek Chubsucker 8
Brown Bullhead 4
Pirate Perch 4
Largemouth Bass 3
Golden Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 52
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 24
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 7
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 7
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 4
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Labrundinia Non-Biting Midges 2
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 2
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 2
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 2
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 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.