MBSS Site Summary for: GA-A-545-302-97


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 7/21/1997.

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 - 3.7 / 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 15,196 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 17.6 %
Forested Land Use 80.3 %


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 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 8/20 (Marginal)
Shading 60 %
Embeddedness 25 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.71
Conductivity 115 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		60.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.5 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
Creek Chub 33
Bluntnose Minnow 28
White Sucker 21
Longnose Dace 19
Common Shiner 18
Pumpkinseed 18
Brown Bullhead 3
Northern Hogsucker 3
Brown Trout 2
Golden Shiner 2
River Chub 2
Fathead Minnow 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle

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 36
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 8
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 6
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 5
Diptera True Fly 3
Chloroperlidae Green Stonefly 3
Epeorus Mayfly 2
Prosimulium Black Fly 2
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 2
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 1
Pseudorthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Tallaperla Roach-Like Stonefly 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 1
Agnetina Golden Stoneflies 1
Stenacron Mayfly 1
Micropsectra 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.