MBSS Site Summary for: SASS-102-X-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site SASS-102-X-2017-MidpointLookingDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site SASS-102-X-2017-MidpointLookingUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT Sassafras River in the Sassafras River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130610.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/20/2017 and again in the summer on 8/11/2017.

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 Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 471 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 10.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 81.5 %
Forested Land Use 7.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 10/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 61 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 16 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 60 %
Embeddedness 55 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 55%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
No water quality measurements available for this site.

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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 368
Tessellated Darter 13
American Eel 9
White Sucker 6
Creek Chubsucker 5
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Gartersnake
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Procambarus sp.

Exotic Plants:
English Ivy
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Privet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
MICROPSECTRA Non-Biting Midges 22
POLYPEDILUM Non-Biting Midges 21
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 14
TVETENIA Non-Biting Midges 11
CHAETOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 7
CRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 6
HYDROPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
SIMULIUM Black Fly 5
NAIDIDAE Aquatic Worm 4
DICROTENDIPES Non-Biting Midges 4
PARAMERINA Non-Biting Midge 2
CHIRONOMINI Non-Biting Midge 2
ORTHOCLADIINAE Midge 2
DIPLECTRONA Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
PARACLADOPELMA Non-Biting Midge 1
STENELMIS Beetle 1
SIMULIIDAE Black Fly 1
TIPULA Crane Fly 1
CALOPTERYX Damselfly 1
PHYSA Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
CHIRONOMUS Non-Biting Midges 1
LUMBRICULIDAE Worm 1
TANYTARSINI Non-Biting Midges 1
THIENEMANNIMYIA GROUP Non-Biting Midges 1
TRIBELOS 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.