MBSS Site Summary for: CHIN-112-R-2015

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CHIN-112-R-2015_Midpoint-looking-downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CHIN-112-R-2015_Midpoint-looking-upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on WATERWORKS CREEK UT in the Chincoteague Bay watershed, 8-digit code: 02130106.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/9/2015 and again in the summer on 6/9/2015.

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 - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.9 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 8 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 0 %
Forested Land Use 100 %


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 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 2/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 68 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 95 %
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:
pH (lab) 4.81
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		-15.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 35.381 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:
Fish data is unavailable or no fish observed.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Eastern Cricket Frog
Fowler's Toad
New Jersey Chorus Frog
Northern Spring Peeper

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No Exotic Plants Observed
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 81
Crangonyx Amphipod 7
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 4
Limnophyes Non-Biting Midge 3
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Dolichopodidae Long-Legged Fly 2
Nematoda Nematode 2
Crangonyctidae Scud 2
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Synurella Amphipod 1
Diamesa Bloodworm 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.