MBSS Site Summary for: NEAS-103-R-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site NEAS-103-R-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site NEAS-103-R-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on NORTHEAST CREEK in the Northeast River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130608.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/4/2008 and again in the summer on 7/10/2008.

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 - 5.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 4,141 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 1.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 78.9 %
Forested Land Use 19.1 %


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 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 52 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 30 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 15 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.56
Conductivity 171 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		515.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.3849 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
Blue Ridge Sculpin 284
Rosyside Dace 100
Creek Chub 83
Tessellated Darter 57
Blacknose Dace 51
White Sucker 34
Cutlip Minnow 29
Margined Madtom 24
American Eel 20
Longnose Dace 20
Northern Hogsucker 16
Common Shiner 13
Redbreast Sunfish 7
Smallmouth Bass 5
Swallowtail Shiner 5
Bluegill 1
Creek Chubsucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

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

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 61
Ephemerellidae Spiny Crawler Mayfly 9
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 8
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 7
Neophylax Caddisfly 6
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 5
Diamesa Bloodworm 4
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 4
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 4
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 3
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 3
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 2
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Microtendipes 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.