MBSS Site Summary for: CE-P-066-117-97


Located on STONE RUN UT1 in the Octoraro Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02120203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/4/1997 and again in the summer on 6/10/1997.

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 - 2.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 594 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 0.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 85.7 %
Forested Land Use 13.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 23.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.32
Conductivity 180 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		917.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 9.3 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 125
Tessellated Darter 31
Creek Chub 22
American Eel 18
White Sucker 17
Cutlip Minnow 14
Rosyside Dace 12
Redbreast Sunfish 7
Swallowtail Shiner 2
Bluegill 1
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Diamesa Bloodworm 14
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 11
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 10
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 9
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 8
Cnephia Black Fly 8
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 5
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 4
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Stenelmis Beetle 4
Stegopterna Black Fly 3
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 3
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 3
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 3
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 2
Helisoma 1
Limonia 1
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Psephenus Water Penny 1
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 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.