MBSS Site Summary for: OCTO-201-A-2012

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-201-A-2012-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-201-A-2012-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on BASIN RUN in the Octoraro Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02120203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/19/2012 and again in the summer on 6/6/2012.

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 - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,426 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 17.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 55.4 %
Forested Land Use 22.5 %


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 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 65 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 10 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Shading 25 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.52
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		648.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.5731 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 14 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 416
Rosyside Dace 251
Tessellated Darter 125
White Sucker 75
American Eel 70
Common Shiner 57
Cutlip Minnow 52
Creek Chub 43
Sea Lamprey 35
Longnose Dace 24
Brown Trout 13
Bluegill 11
Fallfish 3
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog
Red Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 40
Hydrobaenus Midge 27
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 27
Eurylophella Mayfly 9
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 4
Antocha Crane Fly 3
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Macronychus Riffle Beetle 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Diamesa Bloodworm 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
PERLIDAE Common Stonefly 1
CHLOROPERLIDAE Green Stonefly 1
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 1
Neoporus 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.