MBSS Site Summary for: OCTO-215-R-2004

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-215-R-2004-72 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-215-R-2004-73 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-215-R-2004-75 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site OCTO-215-R-2004-76 (Opens in a new window)

Located on STONE RUN 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 7/26/2004.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 4,947 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 5 %
Agricultural Land Use 71 %
Forested Land Use 23 %


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 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 50 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 25 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.58
Conductivity 264 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1019 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.8 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 19 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Tessellated Darter 109
American Eel 103
Blacknose Dace 93
Cutlip Minnow 76
White Sucker 70
Longnose Dace 68
Swallowtail Shiner 30
Bluegill 26
Common Shiner 18
Fallfish 13
Rosyside Dace 13
Creek Chub 10
Margined Madtom 10
Redbreast Sunfish 8
Green Sunfish 5
Pumpkinseed 3
Northern Hogsucker 2
Sea Lamprey 2
Banded Killifish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Red-Backed Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 30
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 25
Naididae Aquatic Worm 18
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 11
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 9
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 7
Cardiocladius Non-Biting Midge 5
Crangonyx Amphipod 5
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Diamesa Bloodworm 3
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Natarsia Non-Biting Midges 1
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Erpobdellidae Leech 1
Hydrobaenus Midge 1
Gammarus Amphipod 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 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.