MBSS Site Summary for: TUCK-110-A-2011

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site TUCK-110-A-2011-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site TUCK-110-A-2011-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on NORWICH CREEK in the Tuckahoe Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130405.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/2/2011 and again in the summer on 6/16/2011.

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 - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,574 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 8.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 52.9 %
Forested Land Use 35.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 72 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 3 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 30 %
Embeddedness 85 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 85%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.045
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		627.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 14.8905 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 15 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 255
Tessellated Darter 97
Bluegill 48
Pirate Perch 48
Redbreast Sunfish 30
Creek Chubsucker 29
Pumpkinseed 14
Golden Shiner 6
Tadpole Madtom 5
American Eel 4
Chain Pickerel 3
Yellow Bullhead 3
Fallfish 1
Green Sunfish 1
Redfin Pickerel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Water Snake

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Common Reed (Phragmites)
Japanese Knotweed
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 99
Stegopterna Black Fly 3
Gammarus Amphipod 2
Sialis Alderfly 1
Oecetis Long-Horned Caddisfly 1
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 1
Limnophyes Non-Biting Midge 1
Stictochironomus Non-Biting Midge 1
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
LEPTOPHLEBIIDAE Pronggilled Mayfly 1
CRANGONYCTIDAE Scud 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.