MBSS Site Summary for: BA-P-074-106-96


Located on TOWSON RUN UT1 in the Jones Falls watershed, 8-digit code: 02130904.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/8/1996 and again in the summer on 7/2/1996.

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 - 1.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 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 339 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 72.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 4.1 %
Forested Land Use 23.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 80 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 80%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.43
Conductivity 453 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1125 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 40
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Diamesa Bloodworm 80
Hydroptilidae Micro Caddisfly 5
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 3
Tipula Crane Fly 3
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 3
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 1
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 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.