MBSS Site Summary for: GA-A-407-310-97


Located on NORTH BR CASSELMAN R in the Casselman River watershed, 8-digit code: 05020204.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/3/1997 and again in the summer on 8/12/1997.

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 Fair - 3.0 / 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 11,625 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 20.1 %
Forested Land Use 78.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 50 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.73
Conductivity 95 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		73.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.7 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 9 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chub 70
White Sucker 33
Blacknose Dace 31
Common Shiner 15
Longnose Dace 14
Northern Hogsucker 12
River Chub 8
Bluntnose Minnow 3
Rock Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Dusky 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
Leuctridae Rolledwinged Stonefly 18
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 15
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 14
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 8
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 7
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 7
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 3
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 3
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 3
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 2
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 2
Prostoma Freshwater Nemertean (Ribbon Worm) 2
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Cinygmula Dark Red Quill Mayfly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Labrundinia Non-Biting Midges 1
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Zavrelimyia 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.