MBSS Site Summary for: NEWP-115-B-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site NEWP-115-B-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site NEWP-115-B-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Kitts Branch in the Newport Bay watershed, 8-digit code: 02130105.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/11/2009 and again in the summer on 6/1/2009.

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 Poor - 2.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 862 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 19.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 55.7 %
Forested Land Use 21.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 68 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 7 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 98 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 98%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.65
Conductivity 254 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		648.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.7888 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 75
Pumpkinseed 31
Eastern Mosquitofish 15
American Eel 14
Golden Shiner 3
Banded Killifish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Spring Peeper

Crayfish:
Procambarus
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 23
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 12
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 10
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 10
Gammarus Amphipod 9
Crangonyx Amphipod 8
Musculium Fingernail Clam 5
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 3
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 3
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Synurella Amphipod 2
Probezzia Biting Midges 1
Gomphus Clubtail Dragonfly 1
Peltodytes Crawling Water Beetle 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Hydrobaenus Midge 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 1
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Neoporus 1
Ferrissia Small Air-Breathing Freshwater Limpets 1
Boyeria Spotted Darner Dragonfly 1
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 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.