Stream Quality Assessment Biological Monitoring

WHY Monitor Stream Quality? To determine if problems exist in our streams and rivers.

HOW do we Monitor Stream Quality?  Stream quality can be assessed by determining the kinds of animals that live within the stream (Biotic Assessment)  Other indicators may be stream odor, appearance, and surroundings (Abiotic Assessment)

Biotic Assessment  Seines may be used to collect stream inhabitants  Group members can help to dig up critters to be caught in the seine, by scraping rocks or shuffling their feet

What kind of critters do we look for? Macroinvertebrates  “Macro”= large enough to be seen with the naked eye  “Invertebrate” = without a backbone  Aquatic macroinvertebrates can be indicators of water quality

There are 3 groups of Macroinvertebrates:  Group One Taxa – pollution sensitive organisms; if these critters are present, you have little pollution in the water  Group Two Taxa – moderate pollution- tolerant; these guys may indicate that the water has some pollution, but not a lot of pollution.  Group Three Taxa – heavy pollution-tolerant; these critters may indicate very heavy pollution

Group One Taxa Pollution sensitive organisms found only in high quality water

Stonefly Nymph  1/2” - 1 1/2” in length  6 legs with hooked tips  Long antennae  2 hair like tails

Mayfly Nymph  1/4”-1” in length  6 large hooked legs  Plate-like gills on sides of body  Many long feelers on lower half of body  Antennae  2 to 3 long, hair-like tails

Water Penny Beetle Larvae  1/4” in length  6 tiny legs on bottom side of body  Flat, saucer-shaped body with raised bumps on top side of body

Gilled Snail  Shell opens on the right  Opening covered by thin plate called operculum

Caddisfly Larvae  Up to 1/2” in length  6 hooked legs on upper third of body  2 hooks at back end  May be found in rock, stick, or leaf case  Typically greenish colored body with dark head

Dobsonfly Larvae (Hellgrammite)  3/4” - 4” in length  6 legs  Many feelers on lower half of body  4 hooks at back end  Fan shaped gill tufts on sides  Short antennae

Riffle Beetle  1/4” in length  Oval body covered with tiny hairs  6 legs  Antennae  Both larva and adult are commonly found in the water Larva Adult

Group Two Taxa Somewhat pollution tolerant organisms that can live in moderate quality water.

Crayfish  1/2” - 6” in length  8 legs  2 large claws  Resemble small lobsters

Dragonfly Nymph  1/2” - 2” in length  6 hooked legs  Large eyes  Usually buried in mud or found clinging to root masses

Damselfly Nymph  1/2” - 1” in length  6 thin hooked legs  3 broad oar shaped tails  Large eyes

Crane Fly Larvae  1/3” - 2” in length  Plump caterpillar-like segmented body  Finger-like lobes at back end  Typically white in color, can be green or brown

Clam  Clams in Ohio streams come in variety of sizes, shapes, and colors according to the species.

Group Three Taxa Pollution tolerant organisms that can handle poorer water quality.

Leech  1/4” - 2” in length  Ends with suction pads

Aquatic Worm  1/4” - 1” in length  Look like earthworms  Can be very thin

Midge Larvae  Up to 1/4” in length  2 legs on each side  Worm-like segmented body  Rapid squirming movement

Black Fly Larvae  Up to 1/4” in length  One end of body wider  Suction pad on larger end  Black head

Pouch Snail  Shell opens on the left  No operculum  Breathe air

Habitat Where do you find macroinvertebrates?  Under rocks  Around tree roots  Around beds of vegetation  Around litter or other debris  In riffle zones

Streamside Habitat  Tree overhang  Roots and logs jutting into the stream  Rocks and boulders along the stream edge  Provide homes and shelter for animals

Riffle Zones  Areas where water is visibly flowing over rocks and stream bottom  Look like small rapids  The movement over the rocks allows oxygen to enter the water

Abiotic Assessment

pH  Indicates whether the stream is basic, acidic, or neutral  Acidic:  Neutral: 7.0  Basic:  Most macroinvertebrates live best in a slightly basic pH (approx. 8) n What sorts of things can change the pH of a stream to dangerous levels?

Alkalinity  Indicates the stream’s ability to neutralize acids  If a lot of acid is needed to cause the stream’s pH, it can neutralize well. It has high alkalinity. (Good)  If the pH drops with just a little acid, the alkalinity is low. (Bad)

Dissolved Oxygen  Indicates the amount of oxygen that is dissolved in the water…necessary for plants and animals!  How does the water replenish its oxygen?

Nitrates  Form of Nitrogen (NO 3 ) that is essential to life.  High levels of nitrates can be toxic! Try not cleaning your fish tank for a year… Why? Nitrogen combines with Oxygen to form nitrate (NO 3 ). Too much Nitrogen removes too much oxygen and causes the fishies to suffocate. n Healthy Levels – 1 mg/L n Toxic Levels – 10 mg/L n Water treatment plant – 30 mg/L

Phosphates  Essential for life  Phosphorus can be dissolved or suspended  Similar to Nitrates: High levels – toxic High levels – toxic Low levels – toxic Low levels – toxic Moderate levels - healthy Moderate levels - healthy

Stream Flow  Choose a section of the creek.  Use a tape measure to find the width and depth of a 100 foot area.  Float a rubber ducky from one end to the other and time its flow. 100 ft. area Speed of Ducky: 100 ft. / _____sec. = _______ ft./sec. Avg. Width x Avg. Depth x ______ ft./sec. = _________ ft. 3 /sec. **Stream Flow**

Turbidity  Clearness or cloudiness of water.  The deeper you can see (clearer), the healthier the stream.  Equipment: Turbidity Tube

Other Stream Quality Indicators  Water appearance  Water odor  Stream bank shape  Stream bottom cover  Streamside vegetation  Land uses within the watershed  Pipes entering the stream  This is called the Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI)

Riparian Corridor  Streamside forests  Protects streambanks from erosion  Protects water quality by filtering out pollutants  Provides wildlife habitat

Stream Bank Without Vegetation Stream Bank Without Vegetation

Point Source Discharges  Discharge entering a stream or river from a pipe or tile, i.e.  Agricultural field tile  Storm drains  Factory outputs  Water treatment plant outlets

Need More Information ?  Check with Ohio EPA for more specific information and expertise on setting up a water quality monitoring program, especially for chemical monitoring  Both ODNR and Ohio EPA can assist with Quality Habitat Environmental Index (QHEI)

Happy Critter Hunting!