MBSS Site Summary for: CH-S-139-116-95


Located on ZEKIAH SWAMP RUN in the Zekiah Swamp watershed, 8-digit code: 02140108.
This stream was visited in the spring on 2/28/1995 and again in the summer on 6/21/1995.

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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.9 / 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 1,664 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 5.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 23.3 %
Forested Land Use 70 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 6/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 2/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 3/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 50 %
Embeddedness 90 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 90%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22.4 ° 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) 5.45
Conductivity 54 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		17.1 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 25
Pirate Perch 8
Redfin Pickerel 6
American Eel 3
Brown Bullhead 1
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Box Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard 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
Stegopterna Black Fly 133
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 7
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 2
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 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.