MBSS Site Summary for: MICR-106-R-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site MICR-106-R-2002-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site MICR-106-R-2002-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on MORGAN CR UT 5 in the Middle Chester River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130509.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/26/2002 and again in the summer on 7/30/2002.

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 558 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 1 %
Agricultural Land Use 88 %
Forested Land Use 10 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 92 %
Embeddedness 80 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 80%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 5.66
Conductivity 90 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		179.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.1 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 1008
Golden Shiner 34
Creek Chubsucker 15
Bluegill 7
Green Sunfish 4
American Eel 3
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 52
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 8
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 5
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 4
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 4
Stictochironomus Non-Biting Midge 4
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 4
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Prostoma Freshwater Nemertean (Ribbon Worm) 3
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 2
Hydroporus Water Beetle 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 1
Procladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Erythemis 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Ptilostomis Giant Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Spirosperma Aquatic Oligochaete Worm 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.