MBSS Site Summary for: PISC-113-B-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-113-B-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-113-B-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Butler Branch in the Piscataway Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/3/2007 and again in the summer on 7/11/2007.

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 - 2.0 / 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 94 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 81.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 5.6 %
Forested Land Use 11.2 %


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 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 65 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 21 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 40 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.6 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.6 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.4
Conductivity 193 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		183.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.3052 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 108
Creek Chub 107
Eastern Mudminnow 7
Eastern Mosquitofish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Dusky Salamander
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydrobaenus Midge 95
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 11
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Orthocladiinae Midge 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.