MBSS Site Summary for: GA-A-407-312-97


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 8/26/1997.

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 Poor - 2.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 10,594 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 19.6 %
Forested Land Use 78.6 %


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 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 45 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 16 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.7
Conductivity 85 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		68.7 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 12 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
White Sucker 162
Creek Chub 99
Blacknose Dace 50
Pumpkinseed 35
Brown Bullhead 24
Common Shiner 23
Bluntnose Minnow 20
Rock Bass 14
Northern Hogsucker 7
Golden Shiner 6
River Chub 6
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Red-Spotted Newt

Crayfish:
Cambarus carinirostris

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 13
Antocha Crane Fly 10
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 8
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 8
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 6
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 5
Prosimulium Black Fly 5
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 4
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 4
Hydrobaenus Midge 4
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 3
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 3
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 2
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 2
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Neophylax 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.