MBSS Site Summary for: NEWP-112-B-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site NEWP-112-B-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site NEWP-112-B-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Ayer Creek in the Newport Bay watershed, 8-digit code: 02130105.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/12/2009 and again in the summer on 6/23/2009.

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 Fair - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.1 / 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 1,045 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 6.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 61.2 %
Forested Land Use 31.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 10 %
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 20.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 2.3 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (2.3 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.59
Conductivity 186 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		368.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 9.5907 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 8 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 149
Eastern Mosquitofish 52
Creek Chubsucker 14
Golden Shiner 12
Brown Bullhead 10
American Eel 8
Pumpkinseed 7
Redfin Pickerel 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 47
Hydrobaenus Midge 41
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 7
Limnophyes Non-Biting Midge 5
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Potthastia Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 1
Dytiscidae Predaceous Diving Beetle 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Platycentropus 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.