MBSS Site Summary for: SEAS-225-R-2015

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site SEAS-225-R-2015_Midpoint-looking-downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site SEAS-225-R-2015_Midpoint-looking-upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on ISLAND CREEK in the Southeast Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130508.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/16/2015 and again in the summer on 7/8/2015.

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 - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.6 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,543 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 6.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 63.1 %
Forested Land Use 29.1 %


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 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 58 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 17 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Shading 40 %
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:
pH (lab) 7.07
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		643.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 12.0271 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 8 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluegill 192
Tadpole Madtom 67
Green Sunfish 30
American Eel 21
Tessellated Darter 14
Eastern Mudminnow 10
Largemouth Bass 6
Golden Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Cambaridae

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 26
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 21
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 8
Hydrobaenus Midge 8
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 5
Prosimulium Black Fly 5
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 3
Psectrocladius Non-Biting Midge 3
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 2
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Cladotanytarsus Non-Biting Midge 2
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 2
Stygobromus Amphipod 2
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Glyptotendipes 1
Stagnicola Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Gammarus Amphipod 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 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.