MBSS Site Summary for: QA-N-085-307-97


Located on MASON BR in the Tuckahoe Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130405.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/21/1997 and again in the summer on 8/19/1997.

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 - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.6 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 28,212 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 0.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 57.4 %
Forested Land Use 41.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 20 %
Embeddedness 80 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 80%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.45
Conductivity 142 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		228.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 7.5 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 19 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chubsucker 297
Tessellated Darter 158
Eastern Mudminnow 157
Tadpole Madtom 104
Bluegill 83
Pirate Perch 82
Pumpkinseed 67
Redbreast Sunfish 37
American Eel 33
Redfin Pickerel 33
Largemouth Bass 29
Swallowtail Shiner 20
Golden Shiner 15
Brown Bullhead 11
Chain Pickerel 4
Fallfish 2
Least Brook Lamprey 1
Margined Madtom 1
Yellow Perch 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
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
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 11
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 9
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 9
Labrundinia Non-Biting Midges 7
Amnicola Freshwater Snail 6
Gammarus Amphipod 5
Amphipoda Scud 5
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 4
Calopteryx Damselfly 3
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 2
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 2
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 2
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 2
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Goniobasis 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Procladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Boyeria Spotted Darner Dragonfly 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.