MBSS Site Summary for: WEST-111-R-2002


Located on WILLIAMSON BR in the West River watershed, 8-digit code: 02131004.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/12/2002 and again in the summer on 6/17/2002.

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 Poor - 1.9 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 67 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 6 %
Agricultural Land Use 51 %
Forested Land Use 41 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 48 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 28 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 96 %
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 15.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.09
Conductivity 260 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		695.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.3 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 61
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 24
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 13
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 3
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 2
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 2
Hydroporus Water Beetle 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 1
Prodiamesa 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.