MBSS Site Summary for: LOCR-102-S-2005


Located on Swan Creek in the Lower Chester River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130505.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/14/2005 and again in the summer on 8/31/2005.

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 - 2.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.1 / 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 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 74 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 1 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Shading 45 %
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 23.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 2.6 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (2.6 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 5.91
Conductivity 113 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		106.5722 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 30.2328 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 743
Eastern Mosquitofish 643
Pumpkinseed 162
Golden Shiner 57
Brown Bullhead 12
American Eel 11
Bluegill 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Cricket Frog
Eastern Ratsnake
Northern Black Racer
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Simulium Black Fly 84
Stegopterna Black Fly 3
Caecidotea Isopod 3
Caenis Mayfly 3
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Simuliidae Black Fly 2
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Procladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 1
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Musculium Fingernail Clam 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.