Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation Plan - Western ...

Connoquenessing Creek Watershed Conservation PlanHow does the Aquatic Community Classification relate to the DEP stream designations?The purpose and meanings differ between the classes defined in Pennsylvania aquatic life use/specialprotection designations and aquatic fish assemblages from the Pennsylvania Aquatic CommunityClassification. The nomenclature of both classifications is similar. In both cases it is meant to relativelydefine the organisms and aquatic habitats along a gradient of water temperatures (and associated streamsize). The DEP stream designations broadly encompass habitats occupied by several Aquatic CommunityClassification fish assemblages and are used in waterquality regulation.Fish CommunitiesCoolwater Stream CommunityCommunity Indicators: Blacknose dace, creek chub,stocked brown trout, white sucker, redside dace, longnosedace, fathead minnow, and pearl dace are commoncommunity members. Not all community members arepresent at community habitats.Species of Conservation Concern: noneBlacknose dace indicative of CoolwaterStream CommunitiesHabitat: This community type occurs in small to medium size streams, and in transitional temperaturestreams. Community habitats may occur in the headwaters of warm-water streams, in marginally or inseasonally warm streams, and in waters that have been degraded. Coolwater streams are generally fasterthan larger warm-water streams, and have intermediate temperature between warm and cold streams.Fish in the Coolwater Stream Community are habitat generalists, and generally pollution tolerant. Thiscommunity type may represent small, cool-water communities that occur in agricultural landscapes. Thiscommunity also occurs in watersheds where urbanization and agriculture may be altering water quality.In the Connoquenessing Creek watershed, the Coolwater Stream Community occurs in the headwaters ofConnoquenessing Creek and in some tributaries, like Thorn Creek, Breakneck Creek, and Brush Creek.Because of its generalist nature, this community habitat may overlap with DEP designated Warm WaterFisheries (WWF) and Cold Water Fisheries (CWF) streams.Community quality rating: Low-mediumCommunity rarity: NoThreats: The potential threats to the community habitat are a number of pollution types. Some tributariesto lower Connoquenessing Creek, like Brush Creek, are impaired for pollution from municipal pointsources, degrading water with organic enrichment and low dissolved oxygen. In Thorn Creek and itstributaries, agricultural practices may be altering stream flow, adding nutrients, and modifying streamhabitats. Mercury was cited as impairing fish consumption in Thorn Creek. Siltation from urban runoffand impoundment on Breakneck Creek (DEP, 2006a) likely degrades stream habitats. Near thecommunity habitat in upper Connoquenessing Creek, urban runoff is causing excess siltation and one ofthe nearby tributaries has excess suspended solids from acid mine drainage.Appendix M. Aquatic Community Classification Page 2 of 8