MBSS Site Summary for: GA-A-128-217-95


Located on CHERRY CR UT1 in the Youghiogheny River watershed, 8-digit code: 05020201.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/18/1995 and again in the summer on 8/9/1995.

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 - 2.0 / 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 1,974 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 24.1 %
Forested Land Use 75.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 10/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 5/20 (Poor)
Shading 80 %
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 16 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.12
Conductivity 95 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		245.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 286
Creek Chub 131
White Sucker 110
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Gartersnake
Northern Green Frog
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 53
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 42
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 31
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 13
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 12
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 9
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 9
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 8
Tabanus Biting Horsefly 7
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 6
Simulium Black Fly 6
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 6
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 6
Tallaperla Roach-Like Stonefly 3
Prosimulium Black Fly 3
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 2
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 2
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 2
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Probezzia Biting Midges 1
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Helichus Beetle 1
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Heptageniidae Flathead Mayfly 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Chloroperlidae Green Stonefly 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 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.