MBSS Site Summary for: WIRH-215-R-2000
Located on MIDDLE NECK BR in the Wicomico River Head watershed,
8-digit code: 02130304.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/29/2000 and again in the summer on 8/2/2000.
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.
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Fish IBI
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Fair - 3.3 / 5.0
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Benthic IBI
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Fair - 3.3 / 5.0
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Land Use
Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
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Catchment area
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4,168 acres
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An example of a forested stream.
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Urban Land Use
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21.5 %
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Agricultural Land Use
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36.6 %
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Forested Land Use
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40.7 %
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An example of woody debris in a stream.
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Physical Stream Habitat
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Instream Habitat
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19/20 (Optimal)
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Epifaunal Substrate
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16/20 (Optimal)
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Velocity/Depth Diversity
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17/20 (Optimal)
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Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters
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14/20 (Suboptimal)
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Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters
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0/20 (Poor)
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Shading
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80 % |
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Embeddedness
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100 % |
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The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is
very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.
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Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.
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Stream Water Quality:
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| Water temperature |
22.7 ° C
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| Dissolved oxygen (DO) |
5.1 mg/L
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| pH (lab) |
6.57 |
| Conductivity |
190 µmho/cm
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Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
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350.9 µeq/L |
| Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) |
12.8 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.
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| American Bullfrog |
| Northern Green Frog |
| Northern Watersnake |
| Pickerel Frog |
| Stinkpot |
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Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
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| Genus/Family |
Common Name |
Count |
| Tubificidae |
Aquatic Worm
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36 |
| Cricotopus/Orthocladius |
Midge
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17 |
| Pisidiidae |
Pill Clam
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11 |
| Physa |
Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail
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10 |
| Polypedilum |
Non-Biting Midges
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7 |
| Cricotopus |
Non-Biting Midges
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5 |
| Cheumatopsyche |
Net-Spinning Caddisfly
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4 |
| Potthastia |
Non-Biting Midges
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3 |
| Orthocladiinae |
Midge
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3 |
| Stagnicola |
Air Breathing Freshwater Snail
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3 |
| Peltodytes |
Crawling Water Beetle
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2 |
| Tanytarsini |
Non-Biting Midges
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2 |
| Enallagma |
Narrow-Winged Damselfly
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2 |
| Thienemanniella |
Non-Biting Midges
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1 |
| Tribelos |
Non-Biting Midges
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1 |
| Smittia |
European Non-Biting Midge
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1 |
| Dolichopodidae |
Long-Legged Fly
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1 |
| Caenis |
Mayfly
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1 |
| Limonia |
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1 |
| Argia |
Narrow-Winged Damselfly
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1 |
Sampling with a kick net.
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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.
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