MBSS Site Summary for: LOCR-102-S-2023

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-102-S-2023-MidpointLookingDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LOCR-102-S-2023-MidpointLookingUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT SWAN CREEK in the Lower Chester River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130505.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/2/2023 and again in the summer on 7/20/2023.

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 - 2.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area No data available A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 22.8 %
Forested Land Use 66.1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 6/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 3/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 62 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 13 meters 		4/20 (Poor)
Shading 85 %
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:
Water temperature 23.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 1.77 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (1.77 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.43
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		251.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 27.48 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mosquitofish 83
Eastern Mudminnow 77
Bluegill 10
Brown Bullhead 7
Pumpkinseed 5
American Eel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Cricket Frog
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
Lacunicambarus diogenes
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
THIENEMANNIMYIA GROUP Non-Biting Midges 15
STEGOPTERNA Black Fly 14
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 12
CAECIDOTEA Isopod 10
RHEOCRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 8
TRIBELOS Non-Biting Midges 6
CNEPHIA Black Fly 6
CRANGONYX Amphipod 6
PROSIMULIUM Black Fly 5
PROCLADIUS Non-Biting Midge 3
POLYPEDILUM Non-Biting Midges 3
IRONOQUIA Northern Caddisfly 2
CLINOTANYPUS Non-Biting Midge 2
PSEUDOLIMNOPHILA Crane Fly 2
CHRYSOPS Deerfly 2
SPHAERIUM Fingernail Clam 1
DICRANOTA Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 1
NAIDIDAE Aquatic Worm 1
BEZZIA/PALPOMYIA/PROBEZZIA 1
FAXONIUS 1
ZAVRELIELLA 1
CHIRONOMUS Non-Biting Midges 1
DICROTENDIPES Non-Biting Midges 1
NANOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 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.