MBSS Site Summary for: LOCK-128-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCK-128-R-2003-0868 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCK-128-R-2003-0869 (Opens in a new window)

Located on BOLINGBROKE CREEK in the Lower Choptank watershed, 8-digit code: 02130403.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/17/2003 and again in the summer on 7/22/2003.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 231 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 %
Agricultural Land Use 78 %
Forested Land Use 22 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 36 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 39 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 85 %
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 21.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 5.49
Conductivity 224 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		19.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.3 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
Least Brook Lamprey 116
Eastern Mudminnow 51
American Eel 7
Tessellated Darter 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Box Turtle
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 48
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 7
Heteroplectron Caddisfly 7
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 6
Anchytarsus Beetle 6
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 4
Hexatoma Crane Fly 4
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 3
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Agarodes 3
Nectopsyche 2
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Chrysops Deerfly 2
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 2
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 2
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Synurella Amphipod 1
Cordulegaster Spiketail Dragonfly 1
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 1
Dineutus Whirlygig Beetle 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 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.