MBSS Site Summary for: PISC-211-B-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-211-B-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PISC-211-B-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Tinkers Creek in the Piscataway Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/9/2007 and again in the summer on 7/12/2007.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.9 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 9,691 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 56.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 13.1 %
Forested Land Use 28.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 17/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 59 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 31 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 25 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.9 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.9 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 7.97
Conductivity 391 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		457.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.6827 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 15 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Longnose Dace 646
Blacknose Dace 371
White Sucker 122
Fallfish 86
Satinfin Shiner 67
Swallowtail Shiner 52
Tessellated Darter 51
Creek Chub 24
Green Sunfish 21
Cutlip Minnow 16
American Eel 13
Largemouth Bass 5
Redbreast Sunfish 5
Sea Lamprey 3
Central Stoneroller 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydrobaenus Midge 54
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 46
Diamesa Bloodworm 5
Simulium Black Fly 2
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 1
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 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.