MBSS Site Summary for: WIRH-104-B-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site WIRH-104-B-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site WIRH-104-B-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Morris Branch in the Wicomico River Head watershed, 8-digit code: 02130304.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/24/2009 and again in the summer on 6/22/2009.

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 - 1.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 727 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 46.2 %
Forested Land Use 49.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 85 %
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 19.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.6 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.6 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 5.6
Conductivity 141 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		23.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.8593 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 11
Bluegill 3
Redfin Pickerel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Red-Backed Salamander
Fowler's Toad
Northern Ring-Necked Snake

Crayfish:
Cambaridae
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
No Exotic Plants Observed
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 44
Musculium Fingernail Clam 28
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 11
Crangonyx Amphipod 5
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 5
Limnodrilus Worm 4
Spirosperma Aquatic Oligochaete Worm 3
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 1
Hydrobaenus Midge 1
Synurella Amphipod 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.