MBSS Site Summary for: CH-S-180-305-95


Located on ZEKIAH SWAMP RUN in the Zekiah Swamp watershed, 8-digit code: 02140108.
This stream was visited in the spring on 2/27/1995 and again in the summer on 5/25/1995.

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 - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 20,917 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 9.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 26.1 %
Forested Land Use 59.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 3/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 75 %
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 19.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.47
Conductivity 98 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		82.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4 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 17 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Tessellated Darter 39
Fallfish 15
American Eel 14
Chain Pickerel 14
Bluegill 13
Creek Chubsucker 12
Tadpole Madtom 8
Redfin Pickerel 6
Eastern Mudminnow 5
Margined Madtom 3
Pumpkinseed 3
Sea Lamprey 2
Blacknose Dace 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Lepomis Hybrid 1
Pirate Perch 1
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle
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
Prosimulium Black Fly 25
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 15
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 14
Crangonyx Amphipod 10
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 10
Neophylax Caddisfly 6
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 5
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 5
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 4
Caecidotea Isopod 4
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 4
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 3
Taeniopteryx Winter Stonefly 3
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 2
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Clioperla Green-Winged Stonefly 1
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Procladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 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.