MBSS Site Summary for: WEBR-105-R-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site WEBR-105-R-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site WEBR-105-R-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on TURKEY BRANCH in the Western Branch watershed, 8-digit code: 02131103.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/4/2008 and again in the summer on 7/22/2008.

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 Good - 4.7 / 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 1,237 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 26 %
Agricultural Land Use 32.8 %
Forested Land Use 40.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 63 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 17 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 50 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.51
Conductivity 421 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		950.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.3134 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 15 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Rosyside Dace 61
Blacknose Dace 44
Fallfish 41
Least Brook Lamprey 38
Green Sunfish 18
Tessellated Darter 18
Creek Chub 17
White Sucker 7
Eastern Mudminnow 4
American Eel 3
Creek Chubsucker 3
Eastern Mosquitofish 3
Bluegill 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Privet
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 20
Hydrobaenus Midge 18
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 11
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 8
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 7
Allocapnia Small Winter Stonefly 5
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 3
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 3
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Boyeria Spotted Darner Dragonfly 2
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 1
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Triaenodes Long-Horned Caddisfly 1
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 1
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Limnodrilus Worm 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.