MBSS Site Summary for: WYER-104-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site WYER-104-R-2003-0912 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site WYER-104-R-2003-0913 (Opens in a new window)

Located on WYE EAST R UT1 UT1 in the Wye River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130503.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/24/2003 and again in the summer on 7/2/2003.

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 - 2.3 / 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 119 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 7 %
Agricultural Land Use 85 %
Forested Land Use 7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 10/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 25 %
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 18.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.4 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.4 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.85
Conductivity 223 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		531 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 11 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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 468
Redfin Pickerel 64
Golden Shiner 17
American Eel 4
Pirate Perch 4
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Northern Watersnake
Stinkpot

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Common Reed (Phragmites)
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 26
Naididae Aquatic Worm 19
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 11
Orthocladiinae Midge 8
Caecidotea Isopod 7
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 7
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 7
Hydroporus Water Beetle 6
Hydrobaenus Midge 5
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 3
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Chironomini Non-Biting Midge 2
Dytiscidae Predaceous Diving Beetle 2
Callibaetis Speckled Dun Mayfly 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Limnophyes Non-Biting Midge 1
Simuliidae Black Fly 1
Musculium Fingernail Clam 1
Synurella Amphipod 1
Lepidoptera Aquatic Moth 1
Stratiomys 1
Pseudosuccinea Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Stagnicola Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 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.