MBSS Site Summary for: CHIN-119-R-2015

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CHIN-119-R-2015_50m-mark-looking-down (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CHIN-119-R-2015_50m-mark-looking-up (Opens in a new window)

Located on POWELL CREEK 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 - 2.3 / 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 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 6 %
Agricultural Land Use 49.1 %
Forested Land Use 41.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 70 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 8 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 98 %
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) 6.65
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		369.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 14.1819 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 101
American Eel 4
Pirate Perch 4
Redfin Pickerel 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Privet
Vinca Vine
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 26
Synurella Amphipod 20
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 19
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 13
Hydrobaenus Midge 8
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 8
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 5
Orthocladiinae Midge 5
Musculium Fingernail Clam 5
Lumbriculidae Worm 5
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 3
Isotomurus Elongate-Bodied Springtail 3
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 2
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Chauliodes 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Curculionidae Weevil 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.