MBSS Site Summary for: PISC-105-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-105-R-2001-120 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-105-R-2001-121 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-105-R-2001-123 (Opens in a new window)

Located on TINKERS CR UT1 in the Piscataway Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/19/2001 and again in the summer on 7/19/2001.

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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 412 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 50 %
Agricultural Land Use 11 %
Forested Land Use 39 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 3/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 63 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 13 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 15 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 3.6 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (3.6 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.39
Conductivity 190 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		517.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.7 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chub 163
Blacknose Dace 117
Eastern Mudminnow 27
Green Sunfish 16
Creek Chubsucker 6
Tessellated Darter 6
Rosyside Dace 4
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern American Toad
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 31
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 7
Psectrocladius Non-Biting Midge 6
Krenopelopia Non-Biting Midge 3
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 2
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Prodiamesa 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker 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.