MBSS Site Summary for: LOCR-102-S-2014

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-102-S-2014-MidpointDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-102-S-2014-MidpointUpstream (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 3/13/2014 and again in the summer on 6/17/2014.

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 - 2.0 / 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 431 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 17.4 %
Forested Land Use 74.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 61 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 14 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 45 %
Embeddedness 90 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 90%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 6.06
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		86.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 21.978 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 512
Pumpkinseed 55
Bluegill 21
Golden Shiner 19
American Eel 3
Brown Bullhead 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Redfin Pickerel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

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

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Autumn Olive
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Stegopterna Black Fly 69
Cnephia Black Fly 12
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 7
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 6
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Prosimulium Black Fly 3
Hydrobaenus Midge 3
Kiefferulus 2
Procladius Non-Biting Midge 2
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 1
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Erpobdellidae Leech 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.