MBSS Site Summary for: LIEL-118-R-2016

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIEL-118-R-2016_Midpoint looking downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIEL-118-R-2016_Midpoint looking upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on West Branch Laurel Run in the Little Elk Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130605.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/29/2016 and again in the summer on 8/4/2016.

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 - 4.0 / 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 947 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 18.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 18.3 %
Forested Land Use 53.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 10/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 69 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 6 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 85 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 85%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 6.72
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		296.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.0971 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chub 98
Rosyside Dace 68
White Sucker 52
Least Brook Lamprey 18
Tessellated Darter 13
American Eel 7
Creek Chubsucker 4
Green Sunfish 4
Pumpkinseed 4
Redfin Pickerel 4
Cutlip Minnow 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

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

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 21
Hydrobaenus Midge 10
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 8
Anafroptilum Small Minnow Mayfly 7
Eurylophella Mayfly 6
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 6
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 6
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 6
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 5
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 5
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 5
Trissopelopia Non-Biting Midges 4
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 4
Nyctiophylax 4
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 2
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 2
Cordulegaster Spiketail Dragonfly 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 1
Siphlonurus Gray Drake Mayfly 1
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 1
Caenis Mayfly 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Bezzia Biting Midge 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Labrundinia 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.