MBSS Site Summary for: CHIN-103-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CHIN-103-R-2001-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CHIN-103-R-2001-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on WATERWORKS CREEK in the Chincoteague Bay watershed, 8-digit code: 02130106.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/13/2001 and again in the summer on 6/13/2001.

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 - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 108 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 46 %
Forested Land Use 53 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 3/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 59 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 16 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 5 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 3.9 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (3.9 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 5.93
Conductivity 270 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		139.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 19.9 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
Bluegill 317
Pumpkinseed 88
Largemouth Bass 22
Golden Shiner 13
American Eel 3
Eastern Mudminnow 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Painted Turtle
Eastern Snapping Turtle

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 28
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 18
Stegopterna Black Fly 14
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 10
Synurella Amphipod 9
Chrysops Deerfly 4
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 3
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 3
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 3
Hydrobaenus Midge 3
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 2
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 2
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Limnodrilus Worm 1
Simulium Black Fly 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.