MBSS Site Summary for: QA-N-030-128-95


Located on WYE EAST R UT1 in the Wye River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130503.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/27/1995 and again in the summer on 7/11/1995.

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 - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 668 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 42.5 %
Forested Land Use 57.1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 3/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 3/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		1/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality 5/20 (Poor)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.2
Conductivity 201 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1092 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 7 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
Eastern Mudminnow 43
Redfin Pickerel 16
Tessellated Darter 13
Pirate Perch 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Box Turtle
Eastern Mud Turtle
Northern Green Frog
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
Leptophlebia Pronggilled Mayfly 20
Caecidotea Isopod 19
Stegopterna Black Fly 12
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 9
Prosimulium Black Fly 6
Orthocladiinae Midge 4
Gammarus Amphipod 4
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 2
Pseudosuccinea Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Deronectes 1
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Corixidae Water Boatman 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.