MBSS Site Summary for: UPCR-104-R-2004

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCR-104-R-2004-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPCR-104-R-2004-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on CHESTER R UT 1 in the Upper Chester River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130510.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/31/2004 and again in the summer on 6/2/2004.

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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 342 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 %
Agricultural Land Use 83 %
Forested Land Use 16 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 66 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 9 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 14.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.65
Conductivity 117 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		489.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.9 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 8 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 71
Green Sunfish 19
Tessellated Darter 12
Golden Shiner 10
Pumpkinseed 6
American Eel 2
Bluegill 1
Creek Chubsucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Black Racer
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 69
Caecidotea Isopod 11
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 10
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 4
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 2
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 2
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 1
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 1
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 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.