MBSS Site Summary for: AA-N-091-303-97


Located on SEVERN RUN in the Severn River watershed, 8-digit code: 02131002.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/27/1997 and again in the summer on 8/6/1997.

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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 7,339 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 30.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 18 %
Forested Land Use 45.7 %


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 17/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 95 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 95%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.01
Conductivity 157 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		463 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.8 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. 		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
American Eel 49
Tessellated Darter 12
Pumpkinseed 10
White Sucker 8
Green Sunfish 5
Yellow Perch 5
Bluegill 3
Brown Bullhead 1
Chain Pickerel 1
Eastern Mudminnow 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Rainbow Trout 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green 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
Acentrella Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 46
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 7
Taeniopteryx Winter Stonefly 4
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 4
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 2
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 2
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 2
Eurylophella Mayfly 2
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Diamesa Bloodworm 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Oecetis Long-Horned Caddisfly 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Culicoides 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.