MBSS Site Summary for: YOUG-118-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site YOUG-118-R-2001-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site YOUG-118-R-2001-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on MILLERS RUN in the Youghiogheny River watershed, 8-digit code: 05020201.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/3/2001 and again in the summer on 8/27/2001.

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 - 1.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,452 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 3 %
Agricultural Land Use 7 %
Forested Land Use 88 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 40 %
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 20.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.8 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.8 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.27
Conductivity 100 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		105.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.8 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
Golden Shiner 87
Creek Chub 19
Pumpkinseed 14
White Sucker 11
Blacknose Dace 6
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Red-Spotted Newt

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Stegopterna Black Fly 57
Hyalella Amphipod 21
Crangonyx Amphipod 13
Crangonyctidae Scud 6
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Chironomidae Non-Biting Midge 1
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Probezzia 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.