MBSS Site Summary for: GA-A-105-318-96


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 - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 8,884 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 30.7 %
Forested Land Use 68.2 %


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 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 40 %
Embeddedness 0 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.19
Conductivity 169 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		160.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.6 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 185
Cutlip Minnow 100
White Sucker 51
Creek Chub 46
Common Shiner 41
Potomac Sculpin 29
Fantail Darter 27
Longnose Dace 22
Blue Ridge Sculpin 19
Northern Hogsucker 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander
Northern Dusky Salamander
Red-Spotted Newt
Seal 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
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 16
Prosimulium Black Fly 12
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 9
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 6
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 5
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 5
Hexatoma Crane Fly 5
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 3
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 3
Wormaldia Fingernet Caddisfly 2
Micrasema 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Bezzia Biting Midge 1
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 1
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 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.