Section 4. MASTER LIST OF ABRAMS CREEK'S BENTHIC MACROINVERTEBRATE

89 Pages·2010·13.18 MB·English

by  Institutional Computing

Water Quality Assessment
Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates in
Abrams Creek, Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia

A Study and Compilation

A Research Report by
Rachel A. Hessler, Andrea R. Martin,
Heidi D. Ruggeri, William B. Seymour, Jr., and Woodward S. Bousquet
with assistance from Robert M. Weiss

December 2006
(online edition July 2010)

Environmental Studies Program
Shenandoah University, Winchester, Virginia 22601

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Photo Credits

Photographs appearing in this report were taken by William Seymour, Jr., Robert Weiss and
Woodward Bousquet.

Disclaimer

The information presented herein is intended for use in this research project, for reference
purposes in decision-making, and as comparative data for future studies. The interpretations of
the data, the conclusions reached and the recommendations offered by the researchers do not
represent the only interpretations, conclusions and recommendations possible from this
investigation. Furthermore, any opinions stated herein are not necessarily those of Shenandoah
University, its administration or its Board of Trustees.

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Water Quality Assessment
Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates in
Abrams Creek, Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia

A Study and Compilation

A Research Report by

Rachel A. Hessler, Andrea R. Martin, Heidi D. Ruggeri,
William B. Seymour, Jr., and Woodward S. Bousquet

Submitted by the Student Authors in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for:
ES 421. Environmental Measurement Methods

Occasional Publication Number 10
Environmental Studies Program, College of Arts and Sciences
Shenandoah University, 1460 University Drive, Winchester, Virginia 22601

December 2006
Online Edition July 2010

This report may be cited as follows:
Hessler, Rachel A., Andrea R. Martin, Heidi D. Ruggeri, William B. Seymour, Jr., and
Woodward S. Bousquet. 2006 (online edition 2010). Water Quality Assessment Using Benthic
Macroinvertebrates. A Study and Compilation. Winchester, Virginia: Environmental Studies
Program, Shenandoah University. Occasional publication no. 10, x + 52 pp. +
Appendices.

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Additional copies of this report may be purchased through the Shenandoah University Bookstore,
1460 University Drive, Winchester, Virginia 22601. Contact 540/665-4523 for information.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many individuals and organizations provided time, support and expertise for this research
study and the resulting report. Although we cannot list everyone by name that contributed to the
information contained in this publication, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all who
made the project possible.

First, we would like to thank the landowners who allowed us to conduct research on their
property: Ricketts Construction Company, Incorporated; the Winchester Parks and Recreation
Department; and James R. Wilkins, Jr. Their cooperation was essential to this study.

We would also like to extend our appreciation to several individuals who helped us identify
organisms, provided data or went with us into the field to collect data. Stephen Hiner, Senior Lab
Specialist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute’s Department of Entomology, reviewed our
identifications in the lab and introduced us to the Virginia Stream Condition Index. We relied
heavily on his expertise. Karen Andersen, the Friends of the Shenandoah River’s Lab Director,
loaned and showed us how to use some of the water testing equipment. Matthew Mullenax, GIS
Coordinator at the Berkeley County (WV) Planning Department, assisted the team in using
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software to plot our data on maps. William J. Van Wart,
Regional Biologist at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), provided DEQ
data for the master list of invertebrate families. John A. Bishop, Transportation Planner at the
Frederick County Planning Department, provided us with a copy of the Route 37 Corridor
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Fellow research group members J. Andrew Clark, Keith
Hoffman, Catheline Huynh-Lam, Heather Kepple, Patrick Mulrooney and Robert Weiss assisted
greatly with planning, data collection, identification and analysis. Another Shenandoah University
student, Gregory Spangler, volunteered his time to collect data and identify organisms. Avery and
Alexandra Harden provided additional assistance.

Funding for this research was provided, in part, by Beatrice and Adelbert von Gontard and
by an anonymous family foundation. We extend our appreciation for their encouragement to
students and faculty in the Environmental Studies Program. Their support enabled the research
team to purchase supplies, travel to the research sites, publish and distribute this report and devote
the time necessary to complete the study. Dr. Richard Marzolf donated the microscope that we
used to identify many of the specimens we collected.

We owe a great deal of appreciation to several Shenandoah University administrators: Dr.
James Davis, President; Dr. Tracy Fitzsimmons, Senior Vice President & Vice President for
Academic Affairs; Dr. Harley Knowles, Vice President for Development; Dr. Calvin Allen, Dean of
the College of Arts and Sciences; and Dr. Nina Parker, Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences.
Their interest and support for undergraduate field research and community outreach was essential to
our success.

Finally, we would like to thank our instructor Dr. Woodward Bousquet. He encouraged us
to undertake this study and guided us through our planning, data collection, identification, analysis
and writing. With his guidance, we were able to work as a team to carry out the study and produce
this report.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
page

Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................................................... ii

Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................................... v

Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................................... vii

List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................................... ix

List of Figures .................................................................................................................................................... ix

List of Plates ....................................................................................................................................................... x

SECTION 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1

Overview ............................................................................................................................................................. 1
Objectives of the Study ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Need for the Study ............................................................................................................................................. 3
Organization of the Report .............................................................................................................................. 5

SECTION 2. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................. 7

Designing the Research Plan and Selecting Sampling Locations ................................................................ 7
Research Schedule .............................................................................................................................................. 9
Data Collection Procedures .............................................................................................................................. 9
Specimen Identification and Storage............................................................................................................. 11
Water Quality Analysis through the Virginia Stream Condition Index (SCI) ......................................... 11

SECTION 3. WATER QUALITY RESULTS BY SITE .................................................................. 15
Overview ........................................................................................................................................................... 15
Site Descriptions and Sampling Results ....................................................................................................... 15
Jubal Early Drive (Site AC-11) ........................................................................................................ 15
Ricketts Construction (Site AC-12) ................................................................................................. 20
Jim Barnett Park (Site AC-13) .......................................................................................................... 23
Hunter Run Road (Site AC-14) ........................................................................................................ 27
Mill Race (Site AC-15) ....................................................................................................................... 29
Town Run (Site TR-11) ..................................................................................................................... 32
Summary of the Data ...................................................................................................................................... 34

SECTION 4. MASTER LIST OF ABRAMS CREEK’S BENTHIC
MACROINVERTEBRATE (BMI) FAUNA ........................................................................................ 37

SECTION 5. CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION ...................................................................... 41
Principal Findings and Outcomes of this Study .......................................................................................... 41
Summary and Discussion of Water Quality Assessment Data ................................................................. 42
Stressors Identified by the Virginia Tech Department of Biological Systems Engineering ................. 44
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Problems Encountered at Town Run ........................................................................................................... 46
Suggestions for Further Research .................................................................................................................. 47

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................. 50

APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................... 53

Appendix A. Benthic Macroinvertebrate Site Characterization Field Data Sheet
Appendix B. Completed Benthic Macroinvertebrate Field Data Sheets
Appendix C. Benthic Macroinvertebrate Laboratory Bench Sheet
Appendix D. Completed Benthic Macroinvetebrate Laboratory Bench Sheets
Appendix E. Site Comparisons by Stream Condition Index (SCI) Metrics
Metric 1: Total Taxa Collected
Metric 2: EPT (Ephemeroptera + Plecoptera + Trichoptera) Taxa
Metric 3: Percent Plecoptera + Trichoptera – Hydropsychidae
Metric 4: Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI)
Metric 5: Percent of Individuals from the Top Two Dominant Taxa
Metric 6: Percent Chironomidae
Metric 7: Percent Scrapers
Metric 8: Percent Ephemeroptera

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LIST OF TABLES
page

Table 1. Description of Benthic Macroinvertebrate SCI Metrics ............................................................ 12
Table 2. BMI List and Summary Data for Jubal Early Drive (Site AC-11) 8 June 2006 ...................... 18
Table 3. SCI for Jubal Early (Site AC-11) 8 June 2006 ............................................................................. 18
Table 4. BMI List and Summary Data for Jubal Early Drive (Site AC-11) 4 September 2006 ........... 19
Table 5. SCI for Jubal Early (Site AC-11) 4 September 2006 .................................................................. 19
Table 6. BMI List and Summary Data for Ricketts Construction (Site AC-12) 8 June 2006 .............. 21
Table 7. SCI for Ricketts Construction (Site AC-12) 8 June 2006 .......................................................... 21
Table 8. BMI List and Summary Data for Ricketts Construction (Site AC-12) 31 August 2006 ....... 22
Table 9. SCI for Ricketts Construction (Site AC-12) 31 August 2006 ................................................... 23
Table 10. BMI List and Summary Data for Jim Barnett Park (Site AC-13) 7 June 2006 ..................... 24
Table 11. SCI for Jim Barnett Park (Site AC-13) 7 June 2006 ................................................................. 25
Table 12. BMI List and Summary Data for Jim Barnett Park (Site AC-13) 10 August 2006 ….........26
Table 13. SCI for Jim Barnett Park (Site AC-13) 10 August 2006 .......................................................... 26
Table 14. BMI List and Summary Data for Hunter Run Road (Site AC-14) 2 June 2006 .................. 28
Table 15. SCI for Hunter Run Road (Site AC-14) 2 June 2006 ............................................................... 28
Table 16. BMI List and Summary Data for Mill Race (Site AC-15) 7 June 2006 .................................. 30
Table 17. SCI for Mill Race (Site AC-15) 7 June 2006 .............................................................................. 30
Table 18. BMI List and Summary Data for Mill Race (Site AC-15) 21 July 2006 ................................ 31
Table 19. SCI for Mill Race (Site AC-15) 21 July 2006 ............................................................................. 32
Table 20. BMI List and Summary Data for Town Run (Site TR-11) 7 June 2006 ............................... 33
Table 21. SCI for Town Run (Site TR-11) 7 June 2006 ............................................................................ 34
Table 22. Summary List of BMI Taxa Found at Six Sites in the Abrams Creek Watershed ............... 35
Table 23. Master List of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in the Abrams Creek Watershed...................... 38
Table 24. Summary Table of SCI Data for Water Quality Sites in the AC Watershed ........................ 42

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Location of the Abrams Creek Watershed in Winchester and Frederick County .................. 1
Figure 2. The Abrams Creek Watershed in Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia ...................... 2
Figure 3. Location of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Water Quality Evaluation Sites .............................. 16
Figure 4. Location of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Water Quality Evaluation and Biosurvey Sites .... 37
Figure 5. SCI Scores for Abrams Creek Sites, June-September 2006: Headwaters to Mouth ........... 43
Figure 6. Metric 1: Total Taxa Collected ....................................................................................A ppendix E
Figure 7. Metric 2: Number of EPT Taxa .................................................................................. Appendix E
Figure 8. Metric 3: Percent Plecoptera + Trichoptera less Hydropsychidae ........................ Appendix E
Figure 9. Metric 4: Hilsenhoff Biotic Index (HBI) ................................................................... Appendix E
Figure 10. Metric 5: Percent Individuals from the Top Two Dominant Taxa ..................... Appendix E
Figure 11. Metric 6: Percent Chironomidae ............................................................................. Appendix E
Figure 12. Metric 7: Percent Scrapers ......................................................................................... Appendix E

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LIST OF PLATES

Plate 1. Shenandoah University Researchers Collecting Specimens at Mill Race (Site AC-15) ............ 5
Plate 2. Collection with 1-meter by 1-meter Seine (kicknet) .................................................................... 10
Plate 3. Jubal Early Drive (Site AC-11) on Abrams Creek ....................................................................... 17
Plate 4. Ricketts Construction (Site AC-12) on Abrams Creek ............................................................... 20
Plate 5. Jim Barnett Park (Site AC-13) on Abrams Creek ........................................................................ 23
Plate 6. Hunter Run Road (Site AC-14) on Abrams Creek ...................................................................... 27
Plate 7. Mill Race (Site AC-15) on Abrams Creek ..................................................................................... 29
Plate 8. Town Run (Site TR-11) ................................................................................................................... 32
Plate 9. Confluence of Abrams Creek and Town Run in Jim Barnett Park on 6 June 2006 ............... 47

The creeks ... are an active mystery, fresh every minute. Theirs is the
mystery of continuous creation … .

- Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek

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