MBSS Site Summary for: LOCR-102-S-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-102-S-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-102-S-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT TO SWAN CREEK in the Lower Chester River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130505.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/19/2008 and again in the summer on 6/30/2008.

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 - 2.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 431 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 16.4 %
Forested Land Use 76.8 %


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 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 3/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 72 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 3 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 70 %
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 23.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 2.4 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (2.4 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 5.89
Conductivity 98 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		62.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 10.8656 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 8 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 255
Pumpkinseed 71
Golden Shiner 28
Redfin Pickerel 12
Brown Bullhead 8
Eastern Mosquitofish 7
American Eel 4
Bluegill 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Watersnake
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Cambaridae
Cambarus diogenes
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Autumn Olive
Canada Thistle
Common Reed (Phragmites)
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Tree Of Heaven
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Stegopterna Black Fly 35
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 23
Cnephia Black Fly 12
Simuliidae Black Fly 6
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 6
Orthocladiinae Midge 5
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Procladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Mallochohelea 1
Synurella Amphipod 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 1
Peltodytes Crawling Water Beetle 1
Musculium Fingernail Clam 1
Tabanidae Horse Fly 1
Caecidotea Isopod 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.