MBSS Site Summary for: QA-N-052-202-97


Located on MASON BR in the Tuckahoe Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130405.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/28/1997 and again in the summer on 6/5/1997.

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 - 5.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 10,829 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 0.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 55 %
Forested Land Use 44.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 10 %
Embeddedness 95 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 95%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 12.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.61
Conductivity 980 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		323 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.6 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 12 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 204
Tadpole Madtom 86
Redfin Pickerel 56
Redbreast Sunfish 32
Creek Chubsucker 30
Tessellated Darter 30
Swallowtail Shiner 21
Pumpkinseed 18
American Eel 17
Bluegill 11
Pirate Perch 11
Margined Madtom 4
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog
Stinkpot

Crayfish:
Procambarus acutus acutus

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 31
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 18
Simulium Black Fly 11
Gammarus Amphipod 9
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 6
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 3
Labrundinia Non-Biting Midges 1
Collembola Springtail 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 1
Leptoceridae Longhorned Casemaker Caddisfly 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.