MBSS Site Summary for: BA-P-145-316-96


Located on GWYNNS FALLS in the Gwynns Falls watershed, 8-digit code: 02130905.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/11/1996 and again in the summer on 7/8/1996.

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 Fair - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 13,869 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 21.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 43 %
Forested Land Use 34.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 17/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 40 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.76
Conductivity 263 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1021 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.8 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
Green Sunfish 149
Swallowtail Shiner 30
Creek Chub 15
Satinfin Shiner 10
Longnose Dace 9
Tessellated Darter 9
Cutlip Minnow 7
Central Stoneroller 6
Rock Bass 6
Bluegill 5
White Sucker 4
Largemouth Bass 2
American Eel 1
Margined Madtom 1
Redbreast Sunfish 1
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle
Fowler's Toad
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 18
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 8
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 6
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 5
Stenelmis Beetle 5
Antocha Crane Fly 3
Leucrocuta Mayfly 3
Psephenus Water Penny 3
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 2
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 1
Taeniopteryx Winter Stonefly 1
Corydalus Dobsonfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 1
Parametriocnemus 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.