MBSS Site Summary for: UPPC-204-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPPC-204-R-2001-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPPC-204-R-2001-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on LIBERTYTOWN BR in the Upper Pocomoke River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/15/2001 and again in the summer on 7/24/2001.

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 - 3.3 / 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 4,057 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 1 %
Agricultural Land Use 57 %
Forested Land Use 41 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 17/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 85 %
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 22.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.7 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.7 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.6
Conductivity 270 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		387.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 16.9 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
Golden Shiner 16
Pirate Perch 15
Creek Chubsucker 11
Eastern Mudminnow 6
American Eel 3
Pumpkinseed 2
Redfin Pickerel 2
Black Crappie 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Painted Turtle

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 29
Amnicola Freshwater Snail 23
Naididae Aquatic Worm 23
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 16
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 5
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 4
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 3
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Musculium Fingernail Clam 2
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Peltodytes Crawling Water Beetle 1
Tanypus Non-Biting Midge 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 1
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 1
Agabus Predatory Aquatic Beetle 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.