MBSS Site Summary for: BA-P-242-210-96


Located on SECOND MINE BR in the Loch Raven Reservoir watershed, 8-digit code: 02130805.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/10/1996 and again in the summer on 7/9/1996.

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 - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,511 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 %
Agricultural Land Use 75.4 %
Forested Land Use 24.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 17/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 70 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 70%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 10.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.94
Conductivity 160 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		352.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.5 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 14 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 189
Rosyside Dace 130
Creek Chub 66
Longnose Dace 62
Cutlip Minnow 33
White Sucker 33
Common Shiner 29
Brown Trout 7
Northern Hogsucker 6
Tessellated Darter 6
Margined Madtom 5
River Chub 4
Bluegill 1
Central Stoneroller 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Dusky Salamander

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 26
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 16
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 11
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 6
Diamesa Bloodworm 4
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 4
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 2
Stegopterna Black Fly 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 1
Tallaperla Roach-Like Stonefly 1
Epeorus Mayfly 1
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Conchapelopia 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.