MBSS Site Summary for: CH-S-062-313-95


Located on ZEKIAH SWAMP RUN in the Zekiah Swamp watershed, 8-digit code: 02140108.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/1/1995 and again in the summer on 8/15/1995.

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 Good - 5.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 38,346 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 9.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 27.6 %
Forested Land Use 60.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		19/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 0/20 (Poor)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 99 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 99%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 23.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 2.5 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (2.5 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.52
Conductivity 103 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		82.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 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 16 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 160
Redfin Pickerel 138
American Eel 131
Tessellated Darter 116
Fallfish 89
Creek Chubsucker 71
Pirate Perch 70
Chain Pickerel 40
Bluegill 35
Tadpole Madtom 16
Golden Shiner 13
Pumpkinseed 12
Rosyside Dace 10
Largemouth Bass 8
Margined Madtom 8
White Sucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 49
Prosimulium Black Fly 15
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 14
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 9
Taeniopteryx Winter Stonefly 7
Centroptilum Small Minnow Mayfly 6
Gammarus Amphipod 6
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 5
Crangonyx Amphipod 5
Neophylax Caddisfly 4
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 4
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 2
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 2
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 2
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 2
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Stegopterna Black Fly 2
Culicoides 1
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Leptophlebia Pronggilled Mayfly 1
Xylotopus Midge 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.