MBSS Site Summary for: CN-N-039-108-96


Located on HARRINGTON BEAVERDAM DITCH UT1 in the Upper Choptank watershed, 8-digit code: 02130404.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/7/1996 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 - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 371 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 48.5 %
Forested Land Use 50.7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 5/20 (Poor)
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 18.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.04
Conductivity 139 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		191.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 9.1 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 9 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 314
Creek Chubsucker 62
Golden Shiner 57
Pumpkinseed 16
Tadpole Madtom 8
Redfin Pickerel 6
Brown Bullhead 3
Redbreast Sunfish 2
Bluegill 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Fowler's Toad
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
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 80
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 10
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 4
Caecidotea Isopod 4
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Crangonyx Amphipod 2
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 2
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.