MBSS Site Summary for: TRAN-106-R-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site TRAN-106-R-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site TRAN-106-R-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Ross Creek in the Transquaking River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130308.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/23/2009 and again in the summer on 6/24/2009.

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 - 2.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 103 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 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 86.9 %
Forested Land Use 12.9 %


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 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 85 %
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 25.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 1.2 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (1.2 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.16
Conductivity 78 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		218.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 28.7846 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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 130
American Eel 10
Brown Bullhead 7
Redfin Pickerel 7
Pirate Perch 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
No Exotic Plants Observed
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Musculium Fingernail Clam 48
Tubifex 9
Kiefferulus 8
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 8
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 7
Hydrobaenus Midge 4
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 3
Limnodrilus Worm 3
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Bezzia Biting Midge 1
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Libellula 1
Culicoides 1
Helobdella 1
Dicrotendipes 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.