MBSS Site Summary for: UPPC-105-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPPC-105-R-2001-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPPC-105-R-2001-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on CAMPBELL DITCH in the Upper Pocomoke River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/13/2001 and again in the summer on 7/26/2001.

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 - 2.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,758 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 4 %
Agricultural Land Use 41 %
Forested Land Use 53 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 10/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 93 %
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 22.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 1.8 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (1.8 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.64
Conductivity 190 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		306.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 14.5 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 184
Pirate Perch 97
Redfin Pickerel 39
Golden Shiner 20
American Eel 3
Pumpkinseed 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green 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
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 54
Caecidotea Isopod 15
Zalutschia Non-Biting Midge 10
Orthocladiinae Midge 6
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 5
Hydrobaenus Midge 5
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 3
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Crangonyx Amphipod 2
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 2
Apsectrotanypus Non-Biting Midges 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Ferrissia Small Air-Breathing Freshwater Limpets 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Simuliidae Black Fly 1
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 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.