MBSS Site Summary for: WIRH-220-S-2002

Site Photos

Located on LEONARD POND RUN in the Wicomico River Head watershed, 8-digit code: 02130304.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/12/2002 and again in the summer on 6/18/2002.

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 - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.4 / 5.0

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.)
Catchment area 13,718 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 10.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 48.5 %
Forested Land Use 37.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 17/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 6 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 60 %
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 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.87
Conductivity 140 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		283.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2 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 16 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Tessellated Darter 220
Pirate Perch 42
Eastern Mudminnow 19
Least Brook Lamprey 18
Chain Pickerel 17
American Eel 15
Bluegill 9
Tadpole Madtom 8
Margined Madtom 4
Brown Bullhead 2
Redfin Pickerel 2
Yellow Perch 2
Creek Chubsucker 1
Eastern Mosquitofish 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Yellow Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Box Turtle

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 18
Eurylophella Mayfly 12
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 8
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 7
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 7
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 7
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 6
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 6
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 4
Cladotanytarsus Non-Biting Midge 3
Gammarus Amphipod 3
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Simuliidae Black Fly 1
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 1
Tabanidae Horse Fly 1
Leptoceridae Longhorned Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 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.