MBSS Site Summary for: WEBR-107-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site WEBR-107-R-2001-27 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site WEBR-107-R-2001-28 (Opens in a new window)

Located on COLLINGTON BR UT1 in the Western Branch watershed, 8-digit code: 02131103.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/23/2001 and again in the summer on 7/24/2001.

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 Fair - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 773 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 11 %
Agricultural Land Use 55 %
Forested Land Use 34 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 73 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 2 meters 		3/20 (Poor)
Shading 77 %
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 21.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 1.9 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (1.9 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.46
Conductivity 170 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		193 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.6 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 9 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 196
Golden Shiner 141
Creek Chubsucker 67
Redfin Pickerel 35
Pumpkinseed 26
Pirate Perch 8
American Eel 3
Bluegill 2
Yellow Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 12
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 11
Hydrobaenus Midge 11
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 11
Caecidotea Isopod 9
Crangonyx Amphipod 6
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 5
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 3
Isotomidae Springtail 3
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 3
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Limnodrilus Worm 2
Hexatoma Crane Fly 2
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 2
Cyphon 2
Kiefferulus 1
Rhabdomastix 1
Pseudosuccinea Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Sialis Alderfly 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Chaoborus 1
Crambus 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 1
Ptilostomis Giant Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Bezzia Biting Midge 1
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 1
Dolichopodidae Long-Legged Fly 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 1
Pseudorthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Chironomus 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.