MBSS Site Summary for: AA-N-258-121-97


Located on DEEP DITCH BR in the Severn River watershed, 8-digit code: 02131002.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/3/1997 and again in the summer on 7/9/1997.

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 Poor - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 90 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 26.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 17.4 %
Forested Land Use 56.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 95 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 95%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.63
Conductivity 350 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		282.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.1 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
No Fish Observed 0
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle
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
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 36
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 21
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 9
Crangonyx Amphipod 9
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 7
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 4
Limonia 2
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Cordulegaster Spiketail Dragonfly 2
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 1
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Anchytarsus Beetle 1
Probezzia Biting Midges 1
Corixidae Water Boatman 1
Dineutus Whirlygig Beetle 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Ironoquia Northern 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.