MBSS Site Summary for: UPPC-113-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPPC-113-R-2001-1 (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 - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,893 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 3 %
Agricultural Land Use 40 %
Forested Land Use 54 %


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 11/20 (Suboptimal)
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 80 %
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) 6.5
Conductivity 190 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		245.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 14 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 508
Pirate Perch 199
Redfin Pickerel 24
Golden Shiner 4
Creek Chubsucker 3
Pumpkinseed 2
Tadpole Madtom 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
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
Stegopterna Black Fly 51
Cnephia Black Fly 7
Caecidotea Isopod 6
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 6
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 5
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 4
Synurella Amphipod 4
Crangonyx Amphipod 3
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 3
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 1
Somatochlora 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Ferrissia Small Air-Breathing Freshwater Limpets 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.