MBSS Site Summary for: PISC-207-R-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-207-R-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-207-R-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on PISCATAWAY CREEK in the Piscataway Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/13/2008 and again in the summer on 7/29/2008.

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 Good - 4.0 / 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 9,315 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 58.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 11.9 %
Forested Land Use 28.2 %


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 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 63 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 17 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 40 %
Embeddedness 0 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 26.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.3
Conductivity 235 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		406.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.0756 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 16 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 216
Common Shiner 86
Spottail Shiner 75
Longnose Dace 66
Satinfin Shiner 25
White Sucker 19
Spotfin Shiner 15
Tessellated Darter 15
Fallfish 14
Redbreast Sunfish 8
American Eel 4
Largemouth Bass 3
Yellow Bullhead 3
Banded Killifish 1
Creek Chub 1
Green Sunfish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Fowler's Toad
Northern Spring Peeper
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydrobaenus Midge 46
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 39
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 5
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 4
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 3
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Stenelmis Beetle 2
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Microcylloepus Riffle Beetle 1
Capniidae Small Winter Stonefly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 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.