MBSS Site Summary for: NANT-109-R-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site NANT-109-R-2002-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site NANT-109-R-2002-2 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site NANT-109-R-2002-3 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site NANT-109-R-2002-4 (Opens in a new window)

Located on CHICONE CR in the Nanticoke River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130305.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/13/2002 and again in the summer on 6/6/2002.

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 - 1.9 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 1,782 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 55 %
Forested Land Use 39 %


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 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 90 %
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 19.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 5.21
Conductivity 70 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		0.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4 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 Mudminnow 26
Brown Bullhead 12
American Eel 11
Pirate Perch 3
Redfin Pickerel 2
Bluegill 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
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
Hydroporus Water Beetle 23
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 15
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 14
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 10
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 7
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 6
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 5
Chironomini Non-Biting Midge 5
Amphipoda Scud 4
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 4
Synurella Amphipod 3
Crangonyx Amphipod 2
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Isotomurus Elongate-Bodied Springtail 1
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Zavrelimyia 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.