MBSS Site Summary for: LOCR-116-R-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-116-R-2002-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-116-R-2002-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on QUEENSTOWN CR UT in the Lower Chester River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130505.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/1/2002 and again in the summer on 6/24/2002.

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 Poor - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.6 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 142 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 %
Agricultural Land Use 86 %
Forested Land Use 10 %


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 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 45 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 30 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 96 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 3.8 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (3.8 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 7.08
Conductivity 290 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		706.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.2 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 239
American Eel 15
Bluegill 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 50
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 11
Paratendipes European Non-Biting Midge 6
Paralauterborniella 4
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 2
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 2
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 2
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 1
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 1
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 1
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 1
Stempellinella Non-Biting Midges 1
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 1
Peltodytes Crawling Water Beetle 1
Stenochironomus European Non-Biting Midge 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.