MBSS Site Summary for: LOCR-102-S-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-102-S-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-102-S-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Swan Creek in the Lower Chester River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130505.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/28/2007 and again in the summer on 8/1/2007.

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 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 2/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 74 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 1 meters 		1/20 (Poor)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 95 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 95%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 3 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (3 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 5.87
Conductivity 105 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		78.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 20.3881 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 118
Pumpkinseed 49
Golden Shiner 34
Bluegill 17
Eastern Mosquitofish 15
Redfin Pickerel 6
American Eel 4
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Common Five-Lined Skink
Eastern Cricket Frog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Watersnake
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Autumn Olive
Common Reed (Phragmites)
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 22
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 21
Cnephia Black Fly 17
Stegopterna Black Fly 16
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 7
Crangonyx Amphipod 4
Synurella Amphipod 3
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 2
Musculium Fingernail Clam 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Crangonyctidae Scud 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Tabanidae Horse Fly 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Endochironomus 1
Kiefferulus 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Prosimulium Black 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.