MBSS Site Summary for: CHIN-119-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CHIN-119-R-2001-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CHIN-119-R-2001-2 (Opens in a new window)

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

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 - 2.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.6 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 473 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 1 %
Agricultural Land Use 56 %
Forested Land Use 43 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 70 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 10 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 93 %
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 18.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.59
Conductivity 240 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		300.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 8.8 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 35
Eastern Mudminnow 26
Pirate Perch 16
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 52
Caecidotea Isopod 9
Gammarus Amphipod 6
Stegopterna Black Fly 6
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 6
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 4
Habrophlebia Prong-Gilled Mayfly 4
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 3
Tanytarsini Non-Biting Midges 3
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 3
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 3
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 3
Orthocladiinae Midge 3
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Isotomidae Springtail 2
Atrichopogon Biting Midge 1
Simuliidae Black Fly 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Parametriocnemus 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.