MBSS Site Summary for: AA-N-323-225-96


Located on SAWMILL CR in the Baltimore Harbor watershed, 8-digit code: 02130903.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/6/1996 and again in the summer on 6/4/1996.

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 Fair - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,546 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 11.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 25.4 %
Forested Land Use 36.6 %


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 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 85 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 85%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 15.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.56
Conductivity 177 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		321.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.9 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Tessellated Darter 67
American Eel 9
Least Brook Lamprey 6
Creek Chubsucker 4
White Sucker 4
Redfin Pickerel 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Stegopterna Black Fly 94
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 2
Hydrobius Water Scavenger Beetle 1
Hyalella Amphipod 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 1
Dolophilodes Medium Evening Sedge Caddisfly 1
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Trissopelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 1
Alloperla Stonefly 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.