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 Maine Department of Environmental Protection
 Biological Monitoring Program
 Stream Algae Report

Site Information
Name: South Branch Meduxnekeag River - Station 2 Sampled by: Houlton Band Of Maliseets
Town: Hodgdon Method: Rock Scrapings 1 Inch Circles
Biomonitoring Basin St. John And Allagash Sample ID: SA-2-2017R (1711)
Sample Date: 2017-08-03 Taxonomist: Ecoanalysts Idaho
Location: Above Houlton Potw; Hmbi Site Code 1sbr (Historical) And 2.08 Sbr (New)
Sample comments:
Latitude: 46.07889953
Longitude: -67.86379375

Three figures from left to right: On the far left, an outline of the state of Maine with the site location marked in blue. In the middle, a satellite image view of the area of the site, with waterbodies marked in blue, and the site marked in red, with a scale bar and north arrow. On the right, a downstream image of the sample site.

Model Results and Variable Plots

 Blue = this sample. Boxplots = range of all samples. Grey shaded areas = 90th and/or 10th percentile of reference site values.

Statutory Class = B
Final Determination = A
Attains Class = YES
Reason = Model
Model Result = A
Prob. Class A = 0.80
Prob. Class B = 0.20
Prob. Class C = 0.00
Prob. NA = 0.00

Boxplots of stream algae model metrics, including range of values from all samples, from reference sites, and this specific sample. Stream algae model metrics are in a table below.

Additional Variable Plots

 Blue = this sample. Boxplots = range of all samples. Grey shaded areas = 90th and/or 10th percentile of reference site values.

Boxplots of additional stream algae metrics, including range of values from all samples, from reference sites, and this specific sample. Additional stream algae metrics are in a table below.

Model Variables Table
Variable Sample value All data median All data 10th percentile All data 90th percentile Reference range lower limit Reference range upper limit Reference range description
Salt-tolerant diatom percent abundance 0.18 0.90 0.00 9.15 0.00 1.08 <90th percentile
Nutrient-tolerant diatom richness 6.00 8.00 3.00 17.00 0.00 8.00 <90th percentile
Intermediate diatom richness 12.00 19.00 11.00 28.80 9.00 25.30 10th to 90th percentile
Intolerant algae percent species 34.78 18.75 3.70 42.27 22.12 72.41 >10th percentile
Motile diatom percent abundance 6.94 8.49 1.55 31.56 0.00 11.59 <90th percentile
Tolerant algae percent abundance 0.56 1.19 0.00 17.43 0.00 1.05 <90th percentile
Additional Variables Table
Variable Sample value All data median All data 10th percentile All data 90th percentile Reference range lower limit Reference range upper limit Reference range description
Tolerance Index (all algae) 38.64 42.67 37.09 49.07 0.00 42.34 <90th percentile
Nitrogen Index (all algae) 39.42 38.64 26.81 51.56 0.00 35.58 <90th percentile
Phosphorus Index (all algae) 55.66 58.62 38.59 76.56 0.00 53.06 <90th percentile
Intolerant algae percent species 8.00 6.00 1.00 14.00 5.00 23.00 >10th percentile
Intolerant algae richness 4.00 6.25 0.00 16.00 0.00 7.14 <90th percentile
Salt-tolerant diatom percent richness 76.52 89.95 61.14 98.30 45.42 97.96 10th to 90th percentile
Tolerant algae percent richness 13.04 16.67 0.00 41.38 0.00 14.29 <90th percentile
Nutrient- tolerant diatom percent abundance 4.35 42.06 7.59 84.31 0.00 48.33 <90th percentile
Stream Characteristics and Water Chemistry Plots

 Blue = this sample. Boxplots = range of all samples. Grey shaded areas = 10th to 90th percentile of reference site values

Bankfull width = 38 m
Wetted width = 28 m
Run = 100 %
Boulder = 5 %
Cobble = 20 %
Gravel = 70 %
Sand = 5 %
Boxplots of stream water chemistry. Values are in a table below.
Water Chemistry Table
Parameter Sample Date Sample value All data median All data 10th percentile All data 90th percentile Reference 10th percentile Reference 90th percentile Units
Viewing Bucket

No viewing bucket data available

Barplot of viewing bucket substrate cover types, available in table on the right.

Land Use
Land Cover Data Source: MELCD 2004
Watershed Area (sq km): 6.3
Impervious Cover %: 4
Land Use Table
Cover Type Percent Category
Highly Urban 0.29 Developed
Urban 0.63 Developed
Residential 4.33 Developed
Water 0.04 Natural
Wetland 5.28 Natural
Forest 39.74 Natural
Grass 11.85 Agriculture
Cleared 0.04 Agriculture
Tilled 37.73 Agriculture

Barplots of landcover data from watershed upstream of sample location. Percentages are available in a table on the right

Site Information
Name: South Branch Meduxnekeag River - Station 2 Sampled by: Houlton Band Of Maliseets
Town: Hodgdon Method: Rock Scrapings 1 Inch Circles
Biomonitoring Basin St. John And Allagash Sample ID: SA-2-2017R (1711)
Sample Date: 2017-08-03 Taxonomist: Ecoanalysts Idaho
Taxa List (See key at end of report)

 Tolerance values color coding: Blue for sensitive, <32.20. Purple for intermediate, >=32.20 and <60. Red for tolerant, >=60.

Name Group RA RB Oxy Sap Sal Tr Mot GF Tol TN TP
Achnanthidium minutissimum Pennate Diatom 0.300 0.038 1 2 2 7 N P 41.2
Achnanthidium deflexum Pennate Diatom 0.204 0.058 1 2 3 N P 43.5 40 52
Delicata delicatula Pennate Diatom 0.101 0.114 1 1 1 1 V S 31.3 21 22
Heteroleibleinia Filamentous Cyanobacteria 0.066 0.001 NA 22 22
Homoeothrix Filamentous Cyanobacteria 0.051 0.001 NA
Brachysira microcephala Pennate Diatom 0.032 0.001 2 1 2 2 M P 18 12 18
Encyonema auerswaldii Pennate Diatom 0.025 0.038 V S NA
Rossithidium petersennii Pennate Diatom 0.023 0.001 1 1 1 1 V P NA
Gomphonema Pennate Diatom 0.016 0.027 N S 15.1
Synedra rumpens Pennate Diatom 0.015 0.004 2 2 N E 34.3 20 32
Pseudostaurosira trainorii Pennate Diatom 0.014 0.000 N E NA
Rivularia Filamentous Cyanobacteria 0.012 0.000 NA
Scenedesmus dimorphus Colonial Green 0.011 0.020 NA
Cocconeis placentula Pennate Diatom 0.011 0.019 3 2 2 5 N P NA 30 82
Nitzschia palea var. debilis Pennate Diatom 0.010 0.004 1 1 1 H P 53.4 47 79
Pseudanabaena Filamentous Cyanobacteria 0.010 0.000 NA 71 84
Fragilaria capucina Pennate Diatom 0.010 0.002 2 2 3 N V 32.9 59 51
Gomphonema augur Pennate Diatom 0.010 0.003 1 2 2 4 N S NA
Fragilaria crotonensis Pennate Diatom 0.008 0.007 2 2 2 3 N V NA 53 64
Mougeotia Filamentous Green 0.006 0.300 26.9 10 12
Gomphonema clevei Pennate Diatom 0.004 0.000 N S 31.3
Gomphonema minusculum Pennate Diatom 0.004 0.000 N S NA 38 51
Desmodesmus communis Colonial Green 0.004 0.001 NA
Zygnema Filamentous Green 0.004 0.002 19
Ulnaria ulna Pennate Diatom 0.004 0.208 3 4 2 N E 34.2 17 21
Gomphonema sarcophagus Pennate Diatom 0.003 0.003 2 2 3 N S NA
Gomphonema calcifugum Pennate Diatom 0.003 0.000 N S NA
Navicula cryptocephala Pennate Diatom 0.003 0.002 3 3 2 7 M P 56.3 55 80
Navicula cryptotenella Pennate Diatom 0.003 0.001 2 2 7 M P 44.6 61 82
Navicula radiosa Pennate Diatom 0.003 0.007 2 2 2 4 M P 41.8 34 73
Cosmarium Desmid 0.003 0.052 NA 18 15
Monoraphidium griffithii Colonial Green 0.003 0.001 NA
Undetermined Pennate diatom Pennate Diatom 0.003 0.001 NA
Eunotia Pennate Diatom 0.003 0.006 V E NA
Eunotia implicata Pennate Diatom 0.003 0.018 1 V E 28.3 16 15
Amphora copulata Pennate Diatom 0.003 0.001 2 2 2 5 M P 53.5 48 73
Encyonopsis microcephala Pennate Diatom 0.003 0.000 1 1 2 4 V S 34.8 17 24
Staurastrum Desmid 0.002 0.047 NA
Navicula capitatoradiata Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.001 3 3 2 5 M P 68.5 62 78
Navicula tripunctata Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.003 2 2 2 5 M P 69.4 76 88
Nitzschia supralitorea Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.000 2 3 2 5 H P 65.4 62 89
Nitzschia pura Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.000 1 2 H P NA
Diatoma tenuis Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.001 3 3 3 5 N U 46.8 52 86
Cymbella turgidula Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.003 V S NA
Fragilaria Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.001 N V NA
Fragilaria tenera Pennate Diatom 0.001 0.001 1 1 1 2 N V 31.9 27 41

Taxa List Key
Column Name Description
RA Relative Abundance number of cells (density of cells per square centimeter) in a sample / total abundance of all taxa
RB Relative Biovolume Volume of a taxon’s cells in a sample / volume of all algae cells in a sample
Oxy van Dam Oxygen tolerance 1=100% DO saturation, 2=>75% DO saturation, 3=>50% DO saturation, 4=>30% DO saturation, 5=<30% DO saturation
Sap van Dam Saprobic value Saprobic values relate to the amount of organic pollution, biological oxygen demand, and DO concentrations. Values range from 1 (intolerant of organic pollution) to 5 (highly tolerant of organic pollution)
Sal van Dam Salinity value 1=freshwater (<100 mg/L chloride) , 2=fresh-brackish (<500 mg/L), 3=brackish-freshwater (500-1000 mg/L), 4=brackish (1000-5000 mg/L)
Tr van Dam Trophic value 1=oligotraphentic, 2=oligo-mesotraphentic, 3=mesotraphentic, 4=meso-eutraphentic, 5=eutraphentic, 6=hypereutraphentic, 7=indifferent to trophic state
Mot Motility of Diatoms Motility (capability of movement in water or on substrates) based on genus (Wang et al. 2005): N= not motile, M = motile , H = highly motile, V=variable within genus
GF Growth Forms E= erect, P=prostrate, S=stalked, U=unattached, V=variable (based on communication with R. Jan Stevenson)
Tol Tolerance value Tolerance to a combination of watershed disturbance, conductivity, and nutrient enrichment (based on Maine data). Value range from 1=most senstive to 100=most tolerant.
TN TN value Preference for total nitrogen (TN) based on Maine data. Values range from 1=low TN concentrations to 100=high TN concentrations.
TP TP value Preference for total phosphorus (TP) based on Maine data. Values range from 1=low TP concentrations to 100=high TP concentrations.