MBSS Site Summary for: LOCR-102-S-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-102-S-2002-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-102-S-2002-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on SWAN CR in the Lower Chester River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130505.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/28/2002 and again in the summer on 8/6/2002.

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 - 1.7 / 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 390 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 12.3 %
Forested Land Use 80.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		5/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (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.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 28.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.7 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.7 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 5.82
Conductivity 120 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		136 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 15.9 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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 515
Golden Shiner 42
Pumpkinseed 42
American Eel 10
Brown Bullhead 8
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Painted Turtle
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Southern Leopard 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
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 14
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 13
Musculium Fingernail Clam 12
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 10
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 9
Procladius Non-Biting Midge 5
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 4
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Lumbriculidae Worm 4
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 3
Peltodytes Crawling Water Beetle 3
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 3
Naididae Aquatic Worm 2
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Caenis Mayfly 1
Tanypus Non-Biting Midge 1
Alotanypus Non-Biting Midges 1
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Pedicia 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Tabanidae Horse Fly 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.