MBSS Site Summary for: AA-S-024-138-97


Located on DEEP CR in the Patuxent River middle watershed, 8-digit code: 02131102.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/6/1997 and again in the summer on 6/2/1997.

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 - 2.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.9 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 651 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 2.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 52.2 %
Forested Land Use 45.1 %


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 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 15.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.58
Conductivity 198 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		195.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.8 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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 50
Tessellated Darter 20
Rosyside Dace 5
American Eel 4
Fallfish 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Box Turtle
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
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
Amphipoda Scud 28
Neophylax Caddisfly 11
Gammarus Amphipod 7
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 7
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 6
Allocapnia Small Winter Stonefly 5
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 5
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 4
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 3
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 2
Simulium Black Fly 2
Cura Flatworm 2
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 2
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 2
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 1
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 1
Ostrocerca Stonefly 1
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Prosimulium Black 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.