Current Monitoring
Stream Quality Assessments / Macroinvertebrate Sampling
A simple approach to monitoring stream quality is to collect and analyze key indicator species
of aquatic insects and other life forms that make the stream their home. Macroinvertebrate
monitoring is a low cost, uncomplicated means of developing a general picture of stream health.
Macroinvertebrates are organisms lacking a backbone and are visible to the naked eye. In
freshwater streams, they include the aquatic insects, crayfish, clams and mussels, snails,
worms and others. In most streams and rivers the larval insects dominate the macroinvertebrate
community. These organisms provide an excellent tool for stream quality assessment.
Macroinvertebrates, being rather restricted to their immediate habitat, cannot escape changes
in water quality. If a mild to severe pollution problem impacts the creek, a considerable
period of time may be required for the macroinvertebrates to fully recover former community
structure. These organisms can provide a relative view of the overall quality of a stream at
any given time.
The vast majority of stream dwelling macroinvertebrates live in riffle areas. The constant
flow of water that riffle areas provide offer a continuous and plentiful supply of food in the
form of plant and animal matter.
Macroinvertebrate monitoring has been recognized as a front line indicator of stream health.
By using this easy sampling system, the watershed project is working to develop a record of
data to be used for tracking water quality trends in the future. The sampling gives the project
current assessment of the stream water quality, which can lead to faster identification of
problems.
Results
The preliminary indications of the data collected reveals the water quality rates between "fair"
and "good" using the rating system developed by ODNR. Two years of monitoring is not enough to
draw conclusions of the water quality of the watershed tributaries. The monitoring does allow
for the development of baseline data to be used for comparisons and for developing trends.
The table below reveals the cumulative macroinvertebrate monitoring results and monitoring locations.
Cumulative Macroinvertebrate Monitoring Results *
| Stream Location | 1994
Index Value | 1994 Stream Quality Assessment | 1995
Index Value | 1995 Stream Quality Assessment |
|---|
| Black Hawk Run, downstream of sediment trap | 8 | Poor | 11 | Fair |
|---|
Black Hawk Run,
upstream of sediment trap | 1 | Poor | 14 | Fair |
|---|
Van Horn Creek,
State Route 366 bridge | 9 | Poor | 11 | Fair |
|---|
North Fork,
Township Road 190 | 5 | Poor | 10 | Fair |
|---|
| North Fork, downstream of County Road 65 bridge | 20 | Good | 11 | Fair |
|---|
| South Fork, County Road 38 upstream from covered bridge | 22 | Good | 13 | Fair |
|---|
| South Fork, State Route 638 upstream from bridge | 18 | Good | 18 | Good |
|---|
| South Fork-Red Slough Ditch, upstream from County Road 103 bridge, open ditch | N/A | N/A | 7 | Poor |
|---|
| South Fork-Red slough Ditch, downstream from Co. Rd. 103 bridge, shaded ditch | N/A | N/A | 16 | Fair |
|---|
* Index value and stream quality assessment indicators were derived using ODNR's macroinbertebrate sampling guidelines.
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