MBSS Site Summary for: ANTI-520-R-2023

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site ANTI-520-R-2023_Midpoint_facing_downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site ANTI-520-R-2023_Midpoint_facing_upstream (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 4/12/2023 and again in the summer on 8/29/2023.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.0 / 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 No data available 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 20.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 47.3 %
Forested Land Use 31.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 50 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 25 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 45 %
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 22.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.46 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.01
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		3667 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.79 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 20 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Spottail Shiner 95
Common Shiner 54
White Sucker 46
Cutlip Minnow 43
Bluntnose Minnow 37
Longnose Dace 37
Northern Hogsucker 35
Rock Bass 31
Bluehead Chub 29
Blue Ridge Sculpin 28
Smallmouth Bass 23
Greenside Darter 14
Spotfin Shiner 11
Brown Trout 7
Satinfin Shiner 7
American Eel 4
Blacknose Dace 4
Yellow Bullhead 2
Fantail Darter 1
Redbreast Sunfish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
Faxonius rusticus
Faxonius virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
GAMMARUS Amphipod 49
CAECIDOTEA Isopod 15
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 15
CRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 11
SIMULIUM Black Fly 11
LYPE Net Tube Caddisfly 3
PHAENOPSECTRA Non-Biting Midges 2
TANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 2
DUBIRAPHIA Riffle Beetle 1
MACRONYCHUS Riffle Beetle 1
EPHEMERELLA Sulphur Mayfly 1
POLYPEDILUM Non-Biting Midges 1
MICROPSECTRA Non-Biting Midges 1
CHEUMATOPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
TELOGANOPSIS Mayfly 1
TIPULA Crane Fly 1
LEPTOXIS Freshwater Snail 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.