MBSS Site Summary for: LIEL-302-B-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIEL-302-B-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIEL-302-B-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Little Elk Creek in the Little Elk Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130605.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/9/2009 and again in the summer on 6/9/2009.

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 Poor - 2.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 339 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 0.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 89.2 %
Forested Land Use 9.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 61 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 31 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 25 %
Embeddedness 25 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.76
Conductivity 215 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		798.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.7457 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
Redbreast Sunfish 141
Blue Ridge Sculpin 90
American Eel 56
Margined Madtom 30
White Sucker 24
Longnose Dace 20
Tessellated Darter 15
Swallowtail Shiner 14
Satinfin Shiner 7
Smallmouth Bass 5
Northern Hogsucker 3
Bluegill 2
Pumpkinseed 2
Channel Catfish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

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

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Autumn Olive
Canada Thistle
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Hops
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Norway Maple
White Mulberry
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 46
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 7
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 5
Diamesa Bloodworm 4
Serratella Mayfly 3
Hydrobaenus Midge 3
Ceratopsyche 3
Synorthocladius 3
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 3
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Eurylophella Mayfly 2
Stenelmis Beetle 2
Prosimulium Black Fly 2
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 1
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 1
Ephemerellidae Spiny Crawler Mayfly 1
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 1
Psephenus Water Penny 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.