MBSS Site Summary for: TOWN-116-R-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site TOWN-116-R-2002-1 (Opens in a new window)

Located on LICK RUN in the Town Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140512.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/26/2002 and again in the summer on 7/10/2002.

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 - 1.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.8 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 385 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 5 %
Agricultural Land Use 13 %
Forested Land Use 80 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 17 meters 		5/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 94 %
Embeddedness 40 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.9 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.9 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 7.24
Conductivity 290 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		586.3 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 2 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 203
Creek Chub 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 34
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 22
Alloperla Stonefly 13
Sweltsa Stonefly 8
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 7
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 7
Hexatoma Crane Fly 4
Leuctridae Rolledwinged Stonefly 4
Prosimulium Black Fly 3
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 2
Eurylophella Mayfly 2
Wormaldia Fingernet Caddisfly 2
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 2
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 1
Gastropoda Snail 1
Ectopria Water Penny Beetle 1
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 1
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Chloroperlidae Green Stonefly 1
Lepidostoma Little Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 1
Molannodes 1
Platysmittia 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsini 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.