MBSS Site Summary for: NANT-119-R-2015

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site NANT-119-R-2015_Midpoint-looking-downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site NANT-119-R-2015_Midpoint-looking-upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on NANTICOKE RIVER UT in the Nanticoke River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130305.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/7/2015 and again in the summer on 7/15/2015.

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 - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.6 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 482 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 3.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 35.8 %
Forested Land Use 30.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 4/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 3/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		5/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 5.58
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		105.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 10.1066 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
Eastern Mudminnow 17
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
New Jersey Chorus Frog
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Cambaridae

Exotic Plants:
No Exotic Plants Observed
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 47
Crangonyx Amphipod 30
Stygobromus Amphipod 27
Psectrocladius Non-Biting Midge 6
Aedes Mosquito 4
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 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.