MBSS Site Summary for: OCTO-118-R-2004

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-118-R-2004-68 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-118-R-2004-69 (Opens in a new window)

Located on OCTORARO UT in the Octoraro Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02120203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/29/2004 and again in the summer on 7/22/2004.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 250 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 2 %
Agricultural Land Use 70 %
Forested Land Use 27 %


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 17/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 21 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 54 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 60 %
Embeddedness 10 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.5
Conductivity 208 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		560.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 197
Tessellated Darter 14
American Eel 4
Creek Chub 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Gartersnake
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 30
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 23
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 17
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 8
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 8
Psephenus Water Penny 6
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 3
Leuctridae Rolledwinged Stonefly 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 1
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 1
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Heptageniidae Flathead Mayfly 1
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Anchytarsus Beetle 1
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill 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.