MBSS Site Summary for: GA-A-105-317-96


Located on SAVAGE R in the Savage River watershed, 8-digit code: 02141006.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/16/1996 and again in the summer on 7/9/1996.

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 Fair - 3.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 8,626 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 31.1 %
Forested Land Use 67.8 %


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 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 45 %
Embeddedness 0 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 7
Conductivity 203 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		158.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.9 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
Blacknose Dace 245
Cutlip Minnow 119
White Sucker 110
Blue Ridge Sculpin 74
Potomac Sculpin 60
Fantail Darter 55
Common Shiner 39
Longnose Dace 33
Creek Chub 25
Northern Hogsucker 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander
Northern Dusky Salamander
Northern Slimy Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 26
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 14
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 12
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 10
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 9
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 5
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 4
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 4
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 3
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 3
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Psilotreta Mortarjoint Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Barbaetis 1
Drunella Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 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.