MBSS Site Summary for: PTOB-103-R-2008

Site Photos

Located on UT PORT TOBACCO CREEK in the Port Tobacco River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140109.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/10/2008 and again in the summer on 6/9/2008.

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 Fair - 3.0 / 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 355 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 37.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 15.9 %
Forested Land Use 46.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 62 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 20 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.58
Conductivity 137 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		269.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.4499 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
Eastern Mudminnow 25
Blacknose Dace 24
Creek Chubsucker 11
Rosyside Dace 8
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Cambarus diogenes

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 65
Hydrobaenus Midge 18
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 13
Synurella Amphipod 5
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Crangonyx Amphipod 2
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Musculium Fingernail Clam 1
Caecidotea Isopod 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.