MBSS Site Summary for: BA-P-089-122-96


Located on LITTLE GUNPOWDER R UT1 in the Little Gunpowder Falls watershed, 8-digit code: 02130804.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/9/1996 and again in the summer on 6/5/1996.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,611 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 1.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 66 %
Forested Land Use 32.5 %


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 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 60 %
Embeddedness 25 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 10.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.11
Conductivity 130 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		284.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.2 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 12 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 85
Rosyside Dace 64
Creek Chub 27
American Eel 13
Tessellated Darter 12
Cutlip Minnow 9
Margined Madtom 7
Longnose Dace 5
River Chub 3
Northern Hogsucker 2
Sea Lamprey 2
White Sucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Ring-Necked Snake
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 23
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 12
Prosimulium Black Fly 8
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 5
Stegopterna Black Fly 4
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 4
Diamesa Bloodworm 3
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 3
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 3
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 3
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 2
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 2
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 2
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 2
Ostrocerca Stonefly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Epeorus Mayfly 1
Drunella Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 1
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 1
Clinocera Aquatic Dance 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.