MBSS Site Summary for: AA-N-162-216-97


Located on SCHULTZ 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 8/11/1997.

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 - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 696 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 9.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 17.7 %
Forested Land Use 34 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.9 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.9 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.95
Conductivity 209 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		555.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 8.5 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Green Sunfish 13
Tessellated Darter 12
Blacknose Dace 8
Bluegill 7
American Eel 3
Golden Shiner 3
White Sucker 2
Brown Bullhead 1
Chain Pickerel 1
Eastern Mudminnow 1
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel 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 31
Naididae Aquatic Worm 10
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 10
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 10
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 5
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 4
Boyeria Spotted Darner Dragonfly 3
Stegopterna Black Fly 3
Prostoma Freshwater Nemertean (Ribbon Worm) 3
Eurylophella Mayfly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Stenelmis Beetle 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.