MBSS Site Summary for: SENE-113-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site SENE-113-R-2001-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site SENE-113-R-2001-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on WHETSTONE RUN in the Seneca Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140208.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/19/2001 and again in the summer on 7/10/2001.

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 - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 375 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 63 %
Agricultural Land Use 10 %
Forested Land Use 27 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 50 meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 25 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.86
Conductivity 280 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		731.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.1 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
Blacknose Dace 91
Creek Chub 23
Green Sunfish 22
White Sucker 19
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
Japanese Honeysuckle
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 54
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 21
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 12
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 9
Stictochironomus Non-Biting Midge 7
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 7
Spirosperma Aquatic Oligochaete Worm 5
Planorbella 4
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 1
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 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.