MBSS Site Summary for: WILL-301-C-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site WILL-301-C-2000-01 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site WILL-301-C-2000-02 (Opens in a new window)

Located on BRADDOCK RUN in the Wills Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02141003.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/11/2000 and again in the summer on 7/28/2000.

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 - 3.5 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 8,087 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 8.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 7.5 %
Forested Land Use 80.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat

Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 19/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 30 meters
18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 50 meters
19/20 (Optimal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 20 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:

Water temperature 15.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.91
Conductivity 980 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
1370 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.8 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
Blacknose Dace 101
Longnose Dace 43
White Sucker 18
Fallfish 12
Rosyside Dace 9
Creek Chub 7
Central Stoneroller 2
Common Shiner 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:

No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:

No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 48
Diamesa Bloodworm 16
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 13
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 7
Orthocladiinae Midge 6
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 2
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Brillia 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.