MBSS Site Summary for: BC-P-004-107-96


Located on CHINQUAPIN RUN in the Back River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130901.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/7/1996 and again in the summer on 7/2/1996.

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Results:

An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is a scientific tool used to identify and classify stream health. An IBI associates anthropogenic influences on a stream or with biological condition in the stream, and is formulated using data developed from biosurveys.
Details on the development and application of MBSS IBIs are in this document.
Fish IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,416 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 86.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 2.5 %
Forested Land Use 10.7 %


Stream showing woody debris, logs, and rocky substrate.
An example of woody debris in a stream.

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 3/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 2/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 1/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 0/20 (Poor)
Shading 50 %
Embeddedness 0 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 0.9 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (0.9 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 7.5
Conductivity 511 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1152 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.5 mg/L

Biological Stream Condition:

Surveys of the organisms living within a stream can give indications of stream health. Species richness, or the number of different species present, as well as indicator species (species whose presence, absence or abundance can serve as a measure of environmental conditions) are informative for stream health. 		Close-up of a mayfly indicator species.

Fish Survey Results:
The following 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
No Fish Observed 0
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 96
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Kick net sampling for macroinvertebrates.
Sampling with a kick net.

Information disclaimer: The information and data on this page is for guidance and general planning purposes only. It should not be used to make decisions on specific matters.