MBSS Site Summary for: UPPC-210-R-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPPC-210-R-2017-MidpointLookingDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UPPC-210-R-2017-MidpointLookingUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on Burnt Mill Branch in the Upper Pocomoke River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/24/2017 and again in the summer on 9/11/2017.

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 Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 11,721 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 10.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 50.6 %
Forested Land Use 35.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 3/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 75 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 15 %
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:
pH (lab) 6.62
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		459.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.6117 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 33
Tessellated Darter 31
Bluespotted Sunfish 21
Eastern Mosquitofish 20
Redbreast Sunfish 15
Tadpole Madtom 8
Pirate Perch 7
Bluegill 6
Eastern Mudminnow 5
Green Sunfish 5
Golden Shiner 4
Satinfin Shiner 4
Yellow Bullhead 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Knotweed
Mile-A-Minute
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
PARAKIEFFERIELLA European Non-Biting Midge 36
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 30
POLYPEDILUM Non-Biting Midges 24
GAMMARUS Amphipod 16
CRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 15
THIENEMANNIELLA Non-Biting Midges 5
PSEUDOCLOEON 4
THIENEMANNIMYIA GROUP Non-Biting Midges 3
PARATANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 3
RHEOTANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 2
TANYPODINAE Non-Biting Midges 1
RHEOCRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 1
ORTHOCLADIINAE Midge 1
CORYNONEURA Non-Biting Midges 1
TUBIFICIDAE Aquatic Worm 1
BEZZIA Biting Midge 1
PELTODYTES Crawling Water 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.