MBSS Site Summary for: GA-A-551-227-95


Located on SOUTH BR BEAR CR UT2 in the Youghiogheny River watershed, 8-digit code: 05020201.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/3/1995 and again in the summer on 7/31/1995.

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 - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.8 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,282 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 3.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 52.5 %
Forested Land Use 43.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 6/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 2/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 5/20 (Poor)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.51
Conductivity 170 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		546 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 323
Creek Chub 106
White Sucker 33
Pumpkinseed 10
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 20
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 19
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 11
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 5
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 5
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 2
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 2
Diamesa Bloodworm 2
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 2
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Diploperla 1
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 1
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Microtendipes 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.