MBSS Site Summary for: AA-N-160-215-97


Located on MAGOTHY R in the Magothy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02131001.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/25/1997 and again in the summer on 7/10/1997.

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 Poor - 2.7 / 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 3,099 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 30.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 27.1 %
Forested Land Use 41.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 18/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. 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 25.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.95
Conductivity 241 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		422.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.7 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
Largemouth Bass 358
American Eel 128
Pumpkinseed 100
Tessellated Darter 33
Bluegill 18
Spottail Shiner 9
Brown Bullhead 6
Black Crappie 4
Yellow Perch 4
Golden Shiner 2
Goldfish 2
Redfin Pickerel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 20
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 17
Crangonyx Amphipod 16
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 13
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 11
Oecetis Long-Horned Caddisfly 7
Corbicula Basket Clam 6
Hexatoma Crane Fly 4
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Simulium Black Fly 2
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Stygobromus Amphipod 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 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.