MBSS Site Summary for: ANTI-302-R-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site ANTI-302-R-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site ANTI-302-R-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Antietam Creek in the Antietam Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140502.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/14/2009 and again in the summer on 8/11/2009.

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 - 1.8 / 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 78,948 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 13.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 46.5 %
Forested Land Use 40.1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 17/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 69 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 53 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 10 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.36
Conductivity 450 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		2600 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.3856 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 16 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 1283
Bluntnose Minnow 673
Longnose Dace 418
White Sucker 225
Spottail Shiner 172
Northern Hogsucker 123
Cutlip Minnow 65
Fantail Darter 56
Blue Ridge Sculpin 49
Greenside Darter 43
Common Shiner 34
Potomac Sculpin 24
Spotfin Shiner 10
Rainbow Trout 2
Yellow Bullhead 2
Banded Killifish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
Orconectes rusticus
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Hops
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Naididae Aquatic Worm 132
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 19
Orthocladiinae Midge 5
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 5
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 3
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 2
Ephemera Mayfly 2
Ceratopsyche 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Diamesa Bloodworm 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Cladotanytarsus Non-Biting Midge 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.