MBSS Site Summary for: SASS-102-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site SASS-102-R-2001-1 (Opens in a new window)

Located on SWANTOWN CR in the Sassafras River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130610.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/26/2001 and again in the summer on 7/9/2001.

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 - 1.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 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 124 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 3 %
Agricultural Land Use 80 %
Forested Land Use 17 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 2/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 100 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 23.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 1.6 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (1.6 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.46
Conductivity 290 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		228.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 23.9 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 2 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 838
Bluegill 8
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 50
Ischnura 20
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 8
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 8
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 7
Hydrobaenus Midge 6
Callibaetis Speckled Dun Mayfly 5
Enallagma Narrow-Winged Damselfly 2
Pachydiplax 2
Rhantus 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Psectrocladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 1
Tanytarsini 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.