MBSS Site Summary for: COCA-109-N-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site COCA-109-N-2003-811 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site COCA-109-N-2003-812 (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT POTOMAC RIVER in the Potomac River MO Cnty watershed, 8-digit code: 02140202.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/14/2003 and again in the summer on 7/2/2003.

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 - 1.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 424 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 43 %
Forested Land Use 56 %


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 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 55 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 20 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 97 %
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 19 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.26
Conductivity 105 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		467.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.2 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 105
Spotfin Shiner 48
Green Sunfish 32
Longear Sunfish 26
Redbreast Sunfish 10
Bluegill 9
Creek Chub 4
Yellow Bullhead 4
White Sucker 3
Pumpkinseed 2
Blacknose Dace 1
Common Carp 1
Creek Chubsucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
Eastern Box Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Pickerel Frog
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Spirosperma Aquatic Oligochaete Worm 120
Paratendipes European Non-Biting Midge 4
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 3
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Hydrobaenus Midge 3
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Phagocata 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Diptera True Fly 1
Caecidotea Isopod 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.