Introduction 



This report evaluates the biological integrity', support of aquatic life uses, and probable 

 causes of stress or impairment to aquatic communities in Careless Creek in the Musselshell River 

 TMDL planning area of central Montana. The purpose of this report is to provide information 

 that will help the State of Montana determine whether lower Careless Creek is water-quality 

 limited and in need of TMDLs. An earlier report on Careless Creek was prepared on a sample 

 collected by MDEQ staff in 1999 (Bahls 2000). 



The federal Clean Water Act directs states to develop water pollution control plans (Total 

 Maximum Daily Loads or TMDLs) that set limits on pollution loading to water-quality limited 

 waters. Water-quality limited waters are lakes and stream segments that do not meet water- 

 quality standards, that is, that do not fully support their beneficial uses. The Clean Water Act 

 and USEPA regulations require each state to (1) identify waters that are water-quality limited, 

 (2) prioritize and target waters for TMDLs, and (3) develop TMDL plans to attain and maintain 

 water-quality standards for all water-quality limited waters. 



Evaluation of aquatic life use support in this report is based on the species composition 

 and structure of periphyton (benthic algae, phytobenthos) communities at three sites that were 

 sampled in September 2003. Periphyton is a diverse assortment of simple photosynthetic 

 organisms called algae that live attached to or in close proximity of the stream bottom. Some 

 algae form long filaments or large colonies and are conspicuous to the unaided eye. But most, 

 including the ubiquitous diatoms, can be seen and identified only with the aid of a microscope. 

 The periphyton community is a basic biological component of all aquatic ecosystems. 

 Periphyton accounts for much of the primary production and biological diversity in Montana 

 streams (Bahls et al. 1992). Plafkin et al. (1989) and Barbour et al. (1999) hst several 

 advantages of using periphyton in biological assessments. 



Biological integrity is defined as "the ability of an aquatic ecosystem to support and maintain a balanced, 

 integrated, adaptive community of organisms havmg a species composition, diversity-, and functional organization 

 comparable to that of natural habitats within a region" (Karr and Dudley 1981). 



