MBSS Site Summary for: OCTO-102-X-2015

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-102-X-2015_Midpoint-downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-102-X-2015_Midpoint-upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on OCTORARO CREEK UT in the Octoraro Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02120203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/1/2015 and again in the summer on 7/29/2015.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,178 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 12.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 45.5 %
Forested Land Use 38.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 30 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 45 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 40 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.75
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		771.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.7352 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
Rosyside Dace 159
Blacknose Dace 153
Creek Chub 52
American Eel 50
Tessellated Darter 19
Cutlip Minnow 13
White Sucker 11
Longnose Dace 10
Bluegill 5
Brown Trout 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

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

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii

Exotic Plants:
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 21
Diamesa Bloodworm 11
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 10
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 9
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 7
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 7
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 6
Gammarus Amphipod 6
Prosimulium Black Fly 4
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 4
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 4
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 3
Eurylophella Mayfly 3
Dolophilodes Medium Evening Sedge Caddisfly 2
Diamesinae Non-Biting Midges 2
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Glossosoma Little Black Caddisfly 2
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 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.