MBSS Site Summary for: CH-S-086-217-95


Located on PINEY BR in the Zekiah Swamp watershed, 8-digit code: 02140108.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/28/1995 and again in the summer on 6/13/1995.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 2,254 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 12.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 29.4 %
Forested Land Use 55.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 80 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 80%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.19
Conductivity 107 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		93.3 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Fallfish 13
Bluegill 11
Pumpkinseed 10
Eastern Mudminnow 9
Redfin Pickerel 8
Least Brook Lamprey 6
Largemouth Bass 5
American Eel 4
Chain Pickerel 1
Margined Madtom 1
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel 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
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 26
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 26
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 20
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 15
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 14
Stenelmis Beetle 6
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 6
Neophylax Caddisfly 3
Prosimulium Black Fly 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 2
Oemopteryx Stonefly 2
Eccoptura Yellow Stone Stonefly 2
Sweltsa Stonefly 1
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 1
Anchytarsus Beetle 1
Potthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 1
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 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.