MBSS Site Summary for: OCTO-102-C-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-102-C-2000-01 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-102-C-2000-02 (Opens in a new window)

Located on LOVE RUN in the Octoraro Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02120203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/13/2000 and again in the summer on 7/20/2000.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 579 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 0.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 75.2 %
Forested Land Use 24.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 33 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 47 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 20 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.14
Conductivity 190 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		638.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.8 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 160
Creek Chub 57
Tessellated Darter 34
Rosyside Dace 29
American Eel 24
White Sucker 24
Bluegill 8
Longnose Dace 3
Brown Trout 1
Cutlip Minnow 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 52
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 29
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 8
Chloroperlidae Green Stonefly 7
Neophylax Caddisfly 4
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 4
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 3
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Bezzia Biting Midge 2
Polycentropodidae Trupetnet And Tubemaking Caddisfly 2
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 2
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 2
Eccoptura Yellow Stone Stonefly 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Lepidostoma Little Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Epeorus Mayfly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Habrophlebia Prong-Gilled Mayfly 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.