Relationship between discharge and %EPT in the upper main stem of the Susquehanna River during the fall semesters from 2016 to 2018

In this study, we continued the tenth year of a long-term study of benthic macroinvertebrate communities (BMI) in the upper main stem of the Susquehanna River. By sampling these communities, we performed river quality assessments and observed habitat variation between the different zones of the river. The study sites were on the western side of the Byers Island transect near the Sunbury Generation LP in Shamokin Dam, PA. Site 1 was located within the West Branch plume while Site 2 was within the North Branch plume. We followed EPA guidelines for passive sampling in non-wadable streams using rock baskets. River discharge was used to reflect stochastic seasonal trends. We saw a rise in %EPT from over the three years from 45.5% to 83.5%, however a slight increase in HBI was also observed. A Bray-Curtis test showed that 2016 and 2017 were the most similar with 2018 being the most dissimilar