MBSS Site Summary for: WO-S-061-206-97


Located on NORTH FORK GREEN RUN in the Upper Pocomoke River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130203.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/7/1997 and again in the summer on 6/24/1997.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.6 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 8,138 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 %
Agricultural Land Use 67.3 %
Forested Land Use 32.1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 0/20 (Poor)
Shading 20 %
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 23.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.38
Conductivity 100 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		231.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 8.1 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 12 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chubsucker 17
Eastern Mudminnow 12
American Eel 8
Pirate Perch 7
Bluegill 4
Golden Shiner 4
Pumpkinseed 4
Tadpole Madtom 4
Tessellated Darter 2
Yellow Perch 2
Eastern Mosquitofish 1
Redfin Pickerel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
Procambarus acutus acutus

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 25
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 9
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 8
Crangonyx Amphipod 6
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 6
Stegopterna Black Fly 5
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 5
Nematomorpha Horsehair Worm 4
Amphipoda Scud 3
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 3
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Simulium Black Fly 2
Gammarus Amphipod 2
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 1
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 1
Caenis Mayfly 1
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 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.