MBSS Site Summary for: BA-P-409-102-96


Located on RED RUN in the Gwynns Falls watershed, 8-digit code: 02130905.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/19/1996 and again in the summer on 8/26/1996.

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 - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 77 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 3.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 84.4 %
Forested Land Use 10.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 4/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 15.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.54
Conductivity 128 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		162.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.3 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
No Fish Observed 0
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green 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
Stegopterna Black Fly 19
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 18
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 10
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 10
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 8
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 6
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 5
Sialis Alderfly 3
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 3
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 2
Hydatophylax Northern Caddisfly 2
Triaenodes Long-Horned Caddisfly 2
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 2
Culicoides 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Tabanus Biting Horsefly 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.