MBSS Site Summary for: WO-S-019-318-97


Located on POCOMOKE R in the Upper Pocomoke River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/7/1997 and again in the summer on 7/30/1997.

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 Fair - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 32,339 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 0.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 51.3 %
Forested Land Use 47.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 80 %
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 21.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.24
Conductivity 105 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		178.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 13.5 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 14 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 24
Tessellated Darter 19
Pirate Perch 15
Bluegill 12
Redbreast Sunfish 12
Yellow Perch 10
Redfin Pickerel 5
Largemouth Bass 3
Tadpole Madtom 3
Creek Chubsucker 2
Eastern Mudminnow 2
Golden Shiner 2
Pumpkinseed 1
Yellow Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Simulium Black Fly 15
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 15
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 11
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 10
Crangonyx Amphipod 10
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 8
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 7
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 3
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 3
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 2
Dineutus Whirlygig Beetle 1
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Oecetis Long-Horned Caddisfly 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 1
Palaemonetes 1
Stenochironomus European Non-Biting Midge 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.