MBSS Site Summary for: LOCR-101-R-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-101-R-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-101-R-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on REED CREEK in the Lower Chester River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130505.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/13/2008 and again in the summer on 7/9/2008.

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 - 2.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 634 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 4 %
Agricultural Land Use 65.2 %
Forested Land Use 29.7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 73 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 4 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 80 %
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 25.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.1 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.1 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 7.29
Conductivity 247 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1147.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.5174 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Golden Shiner 444
Bluegill 384
Largemouth Bass 84
Brown Bullhead 73
Eastern Mudminnow 67
Banded Killifish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Fowler's Toad
New Jersey Chorus Frog
Northern Green Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Common Reed (Phragmites)
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Peltodytes Crawling Water Beetle 17
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 14
Culicoides 13
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 12
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 9
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 6
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 4
Prosimulium Black Fly 4
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 4
Musculium Fingernail Clam 3
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Simulium Black Fly 3
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Naididae Aquatic Worm 2
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 1
Larsia Non-Biting Midge 1
Bezzia Biting Midge 1
Paratendipes European Non-Biting Midge 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Neoporus 1
Parachironomus 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Gyrinus Whirlygig Beetle 1
Limnodrilus 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.