MBSS Site Summary for: QA-N-059-125-95


Located on UNICORN BR UT1 in the Upper Chester River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130510.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/27/1995 and again in the summer on 7/26/1995.

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 Poor - 2.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 829 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 5.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 40.5 %
Forested Land Use 53.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 6/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 40 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 2.1 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (2.1 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.28
Conductivity 178 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		243.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 16 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 129
Redfin Pickerel 6
Pirate Perch 3
Pumpkinseed 3
Golden Shiner 2
Tessellated Darter 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard 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
Ostrocerca Stonefly 17
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 16
Caecidotea Isopod 14
Stegopterna Black Fly 11
Simulium Black Fly 8
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 5
Leptophlebia Pronggilled Mayfly 5
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 4
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 2
Crangonyx Amphipod 2
Gammarus Amphipod 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 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.