MBSS Site Summary for: BA-P-215-305-96


Located on LITTLE GUNPOWDER R in the Little Gunpowder Falls watershed, 8-digit code: 02130804.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/3/1996 and again in the summer on 8/19/1996.

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 Good - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 12,690 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 0.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 69.9 %
Forested Land Use 29.2 %


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 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 11.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.78
Conductivity 150 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		515.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.3 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 19 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Northern Hogsucker 82
American Eel 66
White Sucker 59
River Chub 42
Creek Chub 27
Cutlip Minnow 27
Satinfin Shiner 26
Tessellated Darter 26
Rosyside Dace 22
Margined Madtom 20
Longnose Dace 19
Common Shiner 14
Smallmouth Bass 8
Swallowtail Shiner 8
Blacknose Dace 4
Redbreast Sunfish 4
Bluegill 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Rock Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern American Toad
Pickerel Frog

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 27
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 22
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 6
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
Prosimulium Black Fly 5
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 2
Corydalus Dobsonfly 2
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Serratella Mayfly 2
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Epeorus Mayfly 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.