MBSS Site Summary for: SWAN-110-B-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site SWAN-110-B-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site SWAN-110-B-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on SWAN CREEK in the Swan Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130706.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/12/2008 and again in the summer on 6/11/2008.

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 - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,016 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 4.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 61.8 %
Forested Land Use 32.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat

Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 51 meters
13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 33 meters
14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:

Water temperature 21 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.27
Conductivity 184 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
560 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.7458 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 55
Rosyside Dace 51
American Eel 39
Cutlip Minnow 31
Creek Chub 27
Green Sunfish 19
White Sucker 16
Tessellated Darter 15
Common Shiner 5
Brown Trout 1
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog
Spotted Salamander

Crayfish:

Cambarus bartonii bartonii

Exotic Plants:

Garlic Mustard
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 39
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 20
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 7
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 7
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 7
Ephemerellidae Spiny Crawler Mayfly 4
Hydrobaenus Midge 4
Orthocladiinae Midge 3
Crangonyx Amphipod 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 2
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Perlidae Common Stonefly 1
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 1
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 1
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Lumbriculidae 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.