MBSS Site Summary for: HO-P-158-309-97


Located on CATTAIL CR in the Brighton Dam watershed, 8-digit code: 02131108.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/25/1997 and again in the summer on 7/30/1997.

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 Good - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 5,553 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 2.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 78.6 %
Forested Land Use 18.3 %


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 17/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 86 %
Embeddedness 7 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 10.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.19
Conductivity 252 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		354.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.4 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 14 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
White Sucker 332
Longnose Dace 196
Creek Chub 97
Fallfish 77
Tessellated Darter 69
Central Stoneroller 64
Blacknose Dace 47
Rosyside Dace 46
Bluegill 6
Common Shiner 5
Largemouth Bass 5
Cutlip Minnow 2
Smallmouth Bass 2
Margined Madtom 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Red Salamander
Northern Spring Peeper
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 48
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 33
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 6
Diamesa Bloodworm 5
Antocha Crane Fly 4
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Leptophlebia Pronggilled Mayfly 2
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 2
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Gyraulus White Ramshorn Freshwater Snail 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Leucrocuta Mayfly 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hyalella Amphipod 1
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 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.