MBSS Site Summary for: GEOR-315-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site GEOR-315-R-2003-4 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site GEOR-315-R-2003-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site GEOR-315-R-2003-3 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site GEOR-315-R-2003-2 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site GEOR-315-R-2003-5 (Opens in a new window)

Located on GEORGES CR in the Georges Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02141004.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/1/2003 and again in the summer on 8/20/2003.

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 - 1.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 28,381 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 11 %
Agricultural Land Use 9 %
Forested Land Use 78 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 52 meters 		20/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 51 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 50 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.61
Conductivity 1010 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		687.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.7 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 8 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 304
White Sucker 57
Creek Chub 18
Blue Ridge Sculpin 4
Rosyside Dace 4
Rainbow Trout 2
Brown Trout 1
Fantail Darter 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Allegheny Mountain Dusky Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 3
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 1
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 1
Sweltsa Stonefly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Lepidostoma Little Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Molophilus 1
Soyedina 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.