MBSS Site Summary for: WICO-106-R-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site WICO-106-R-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site WICO-106-R-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Forest Hall Branch in the Wicomico River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140106.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/27/2007 and again in the summer on 6/12/2007.

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 - 5.0 / 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 576 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 15.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 39.3 %
Forested Land Use 43.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 69 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 18 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 93 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.9
Conductivity 106 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		319.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.0241 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Least Brook Lamprey 42
Blacknose Dace 33
Eastern Mudminnow 19
Tessellated Darter 13
Pumpkinseed 5
Creek Chubsucker 4
Golden Shiner 4
Pirate Perch 4
American Eel 3
Bluegill 2
Fallfish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydrobaenus Midge 21
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 11
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 9
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 7
Caecidotea Isopod 6
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 5
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 5
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 3
Orthocladiinae Midge 3
Synurella Amphipod 3
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 3
Stempellinella Non-Biting Midges 2
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 2
Calopteryx Damselfly 2
Stilocladius Midge 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Leptoceridae Longhorned Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Simulium Black Fly 1
Gomphidae Clubtail Dragonfly 1
Ephemerellidae Spiny Crawler Mayfly 1
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 1
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 1
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 1
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 1
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Polycentropodidae Trupetnet And Tubemaking Caddisfly 1
Lumbriculidae 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.