MBSS Site Summary for: BA-N-045-223-96


Located on MOORE'S RUN in the Back River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130901.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/7/1997 and again in the summer on 7/17/1996.

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 Poor - 2.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 11,859 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 76.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 11.1 %
Forested Land Use 11.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 30 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 23.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.3
Conductivity 330 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1116 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.1 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Mummichog 379
Spottail Shiner 149
Satinfin Shiner 87
American Eel 49
White Sucker 17
Blacknose Dace 15
Striped Bass 9
Redbreast Sunfish 8
Pumpkinseed 3
Banded Killifish 2
Brown Bullhead 1
Goldfish 1
Swallowtail Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Lumbriculidae Worm 5
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.