Rapid Bioassessment and Macroinvertebrate Survey of 11 Streams on the Fort McCoy Military Reservation, Sparta, WI

Water quality of 11 streams on or near the Fort McCoy Military Reservation, Monroe County, Wisconsin, was determined using macroinvertebrate rapid bioassessment techniques. Five macroinvertebrate samples were collected from available habitat at 32 sites in the fall 1994, and spring 1995 to determine water quality, compare seasonal water quality ratings, and provide baseline information on macroinvertebrate community structure. Twenty six benthic community metrics including Biotic Index (Bl), Family Biotic Index (FBI), Mean Tolerance Value (MTolVal), species and generic richness, Margalef's diversity index, 2 Ephemeroptera-Plecoptera-Trichoptera (EPT) richness measures, 7 trophic function richness metrics, and ranking of the 5 most abundant genera were calculated for each sample. Combined season water quality at 20 sites was rated the same by all three water quality metrics (Bl, FBI, MTolVal). Those sites with different classifications were usually different by only one classification interval. The mean combined season BI rated 22 sites as having excellent water quality, five as very good, three as good, and two as fair. Most water quality metrics were stable across seasons. The mean MTolVal was the only seasonal water quality metric to vary significantly (p<0.05). The combined site mean EPT enumeration and richness values also varied significantly (p