MBSS Site Summary for: STIL-119-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site STIL-119-R-2001-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site STIL-119-R-2001-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on MILL CR UT1 in the Stillpond-Fairlee watershed, 8-digit code: 02130611.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/28/2001 and again in the summer on 7/23/2001.

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 Good - 4.3 / 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 670 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 76 %
Forested Land Use 21 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 82 %
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 21.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 5.87
Conductivity 140 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		65.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2 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
Pumpkinseed 182
Eastern Mudminnow 157
Golden Shiner 123
Tessellated Darter 83
Creek Chubsucker 25
Least Brook Lamprey 9
American Eel 7
Creek Chub 7
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 30
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 16
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 9
Xylotopus Midge 7
Synurella Amphipod 6
Leptophlebia Pronggilled Mayfly 5
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 5
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 5
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 4
Hydroporus Water Beetle 3
Corixidae Water Boatman 3
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 2
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 2
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 1
Gordiidae Horsehair Worm 1
Lepidoptera Aquatic Moth 1
Chauliodes 1
Stygobromus Amphipod 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Diptera True Fly 1
Limnodrilus Worm 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.