MBSS Site Summary for: WA-A-144-311-95


Located on BEAR CR in the Sideling Hill Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140510.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/15/1995 and again in the summer on 6/13/1995.

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 - 3.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 6,527 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 2 %
Agricultural Land Use 43.4 %
Forested Land Use 54.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 17/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 19/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 17/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 30 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 14 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.09
Conductivity 135 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		182.9 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 15 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 138
Potomac Sculpin 51
Creek Chub 32
Central Stoneroller 29
Fantail Darter 19
Greenside Darter 15
Bluntnose Minnow 7
Rock Bass 6
Longnose Dace 4
White Sucker 4
Bluegill 3
Green Sunfish 3
Smallmouth Bass 3
Common Shiner 2
Northern Hogsucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Red Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 38
Ostrocerca Stonefly 25
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 13
Acentrella Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 10
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 5
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 4
Oemopteryx Stonefly 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 2
Neophylax Caddisfly 2
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Pteronarcys Giant Stonefly 1
Chloroperlidae Green Stonefly 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 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.