MBSS Site Summary for: WCHE-104-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site WCHE-104-R-2003-0802 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site WCHE-104-R-2003-0803 (Opens in a new window)

Located on PARKER CR UT1 in the West Chesapeake Bay watershed, 8-digit code: 02131005.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/5/2003 and again in the summer on 6/9/2003.

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 Poor - 2.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 93 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 11 %
Agricultural Land Use 27 %
Forested Land Use 61 %


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 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 14 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 61 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 97 %
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 14.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.05
Conductivity 134 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		495.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.2 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 8
American Eel 5
Least Brook Lamprey 3
Eastern Mudminnow 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Red Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

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 55
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 10
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 6
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 4
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 3
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 3
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Lepidoptera Aquatic Moth 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Anchytarsus Beetle 1
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Ormosia Cranefly 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Ptilostomis Giant Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Clioperla Green-Winged Stonefly 1
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 1
Chironomini Non-Biting Midge 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Diplocladius 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.