MBSS Site Summary for: QA-N-014-204-95


Located on MILL STREAM BR in the Corsica River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130507.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/3/1995 and again in the summer on 7/11/1995.

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 - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 3,224 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 1 %
Agricultural Land Use 62.9 %
Forested Land Use 35.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 85 %
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 22 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.21
Conductivity 194 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		766.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 9 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
Tessellated Darter 104
Fallfish 77
Pirate Perch 37
American Eel 35
Creek Chubsucker 31
Pumpkinseed 18
Bluegill 11
Redfin Pickerel 11
Largemouth Bass 9
Least Brook Lamprey 5
Redbreast Sunfish 4
Eastern Mudminnow 3
Margined Madtom 3
Brown Bullhead 1
Golden Shiner 1
White Sucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus
Procambarus acutus acutus

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 55
Caecidotea Isopod 36
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 15
Simulium Black Fly 12
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 12
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 8
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Nanocladius 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.