Saunders Branch IA 03-SKU-902

Assessment Comments

1998 Biocriteria: Fish IBI (4 sites upstream to downstream) = 6(very poor), 5(very poor), 34(fair), 18(poor)

Basis for Assessment

The assessment was based on data collected in 1998 as part of the DNR/UHL stream biocriteria development project.   A series of biological metrics which reflect stream water quality and habitat integrity were calculated from the biocriteria sampling data.   The biological metrics are based on the numbers and types of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa and fish species that were collected in the stream sampling reach.    The biological metrics were combined to make a fish community index of biotic integrity (F-IBI) and a benthic macroinvertebrate index (BM-IBI).   The indexes rank the biological integrity of a stream sampling reach on a rising scale from 0 (minimum)-100 (maximum).  

For this particular stream segment, only fish data were quantitatively analyzed while benthic macroinvertebrate data were analyzed qualitatively.   The Fish IBI score (4 sites upstream to downstream) = 6(very poor), 5(very poor), 34(fair), 18(poor).   The aquatic life use support status was assessed as not supporting (=NS), based on a comparison of the F-IBI with biological assessment criteria established specifically for the 2000 Section 305b report (IDNR 2000).   The biological assessment criteria were determined from a statistical analysis of data collected at stream ecoregion reference sites from 1994-1998.