MBSS Site Summary for: PISC-115-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-115-R-2001-105 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-115-R-2001-106 (Opens in a new window)

Located on PISCATAWAY CR UT1 in the Piscataway Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/14/2001 and again in the summer on 7/3/2001.

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 Poor - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.3 / 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 272 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 18 %
Agricultural Land Use 6 %
Forested Land Use 75 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 3/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 2/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 3/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 70 meters 		4/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 7 meters 		2/20 (Poor)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 75 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 75%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 5.99
Conductivity 140 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		67 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.6 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 2 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 9
Creek Chub 4
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Stegopterna Black Fly 36
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 26
Prosimulium Black Fly 13
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 6
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 4
Collembola Springtail 2
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Lumbriculidae Worm 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Synurella Amphipod 2
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Gordiidae Horsehair Worm 1
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 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.