MBSS Site Summary for: LIBE-113-R-2015

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIBE-113-R-2015_Midpoint-looking-downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIBE-113-R-2015_Midpoint-looking-upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on LITTLE MORGAN RUN in the Liberty Reservoir watershed, 8-digit code: 02130907.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/2/2015 and again in the summer on 7/1/2015.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 303 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 4.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 61.4 %
Forested Land Use 33.8 %


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 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 11 meters
8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 64 meters
12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 40 %


Stream Water Quality:

pH (lab) 7.22
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
366.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.2175 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 150
Blue Ridge Sculpin 96
Creek Chub 28
Rosyside Dace 9
Bluegill 2
Longnose Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:

Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:

Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 29
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 9
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 9
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 6
Neophylax Caddisfly 5
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 5
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Stempellinella Non-Biting Midges 3
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 3
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 3
Diphetor Mayfly 2
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 2
Psilotreta Mortarjoint Casemaker Caddisfly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Trissopelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 1
Ephemerellidae Spiny Crawler Mayfly 1
Collembola Springtail 1
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 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.