MBSS Site Summary for: NACE-201-N-2006


Located on Oxon Run in the Western Branch watershed, 8-digit code: 02131103.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/28/2006 and again in the summer on 7/24/2006.

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 N R
Benthic IBI N R

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area No data available 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 No data available
Agricultural Land Use No data available
Forested Land Use No data available


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 67 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 31 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 75 %
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 25.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.36
Conductivity 352 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1047.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.7287 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 239
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Naididae Aquatic Worm 71
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 14
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 12
Limnodrilus Worm 9
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 2
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 2
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Psectrotanypus Non-Biting Midge 1
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Psychoda 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Lumbriculidae 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.