MBSS Site Summary for: YOUG-110-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site YOUG-110-R-2001-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site YOUG-110-R-2001-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on SOUTH BR BEAR CR UT2 UT1 in the Youghiogheny River watershed, 8-digit code: 05020201.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/23/2001 and again in the summer on 8/20/2001.

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 Poor - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 711 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 15 %
Agricultural Land Use 50 %
Forested Land Use 35 %


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 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 40 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 40 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 97 %
Embeddedness 25 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.26
Conductivity 290 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		465.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.2 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 87
Creek Chub 24
White Sucker 11
Bluegill 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 18
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 14
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 10
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 10
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 8
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 6
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 6
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 4
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 3
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 3
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 3
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 2
Sublettea 2
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Ormosia Cranefly 1
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 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.