MBSS Site Summary for: CN-N-020-109-96


Located on FORGE BR UT1 in the Upper Choptank watershed, 8-digit code: 02130404.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/11/1996 and again in the summer on 9/3/1996.

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 Poor - 1.9 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,685 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 0.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 59.4 %
Forested Land Use 39.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 4/20 (Poor)
Shading 65 %
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 20 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.15
Conductivity 130 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		95.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.6 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 33
Pirate Perch 23
Redfin Pickerel 21
American Eel 13
Pumpkinseed 11
Bluegill 7
Creek Chubsucker 4
Tessellated Darter 4
Redbreast Sunfish 2
Chain Pickerel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Procambarus acutus acutus

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Stegopterna Black Fly 42
Prosimulium Black Fly 39
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 36
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 7
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 2
Wormaldia Fingernet Caddisfly 2
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 2
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Microtendipes 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.