MBSS Site Summary for: OCTO-201-C-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-201-C-2000-01 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-201-C-2000-02 (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 4/13/2000 and again in the summer on 9/8/2000.

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 Good - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 7,155 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 0.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 59.9 %
Forested Land Use 39.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 19/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 55 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 28 meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 10 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 14.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.15
Conductivity 190 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		552 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.5 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 282
Rosyside Dace 184
Longnose Dace 170
American Eel 102
Cutlip Minnow 101
Tessellated Darter 57
Margined Madtom 25
Brown Trout 14
Sea Lamprey 14
White Sucker 13
Creek Chub 3
Redbreast Sunfish 2
Green Sunfish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Fowler's Toad
Long-Tailed Salamander
Northern Ring-Necked Snake
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 135
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Drunella Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 3
Perlidae Common Stonefly 2
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Simuliidae Black Fly 2
Acentrella Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 2
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 2
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Leuctridae Rolledwinged Stonefly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 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.