MBSS Site Summary for: NASS-302-S-2009

Site Photos

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

Located on Nassawango Creek in the Nassawango Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130205.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/17/2009 and again in the summer on 7/20/2009.

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 - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.4 / 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 19,606 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 32.7 %
Forested Land Use 61.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 2.8 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (2.8 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.21
Conductivity 95 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		132.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 15.1264 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 17 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Pirate Perch 90
Golden Shiner 60
Redfin Pickerel 51
Creek Chubsucker 39
Eastern Mudminnow 29
American Eel 27
Pumpkinseed 12
Yellow Perch 8
Brown Bullhead 7
Margined Madtom 6
Chain Pickerel 4
Redbreast Sunfish 3
Yellow Bullhead 3
Tadpole Madtom 2
Tessellated Darter 2
Bluegill 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Fowler's Toad
Northern Spring Peeper
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 23
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 7
Taeniopteryx Winter Stonefly 7
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 6
Unniella Non-Biting Midge 6
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 6
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 6
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 5
Crangonyx Amphipod 4
Caecidotea Isopod 3
Limnophyes Non-Biting Midge 3
Procladius Non-Biting Midge 3
Stegopterna Black Fly 2
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 2
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 2
Dytiscidae Predaceous Diving Beetle 2
Ephemerellidae Spiny Crawler Mayfly 1
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Stenacron Mayfly 1
Campeloma 1
Palaemonetes 1
Somatochlora 1
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Parametriocnemus 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.