MBSS Site Summary for: BA-P-419-317-96


Located on DELAWARE RUN in the Loch Raven Reservoir watershed, 8-digit code: 02130805.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/17/1996 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 Good - 4.0 / 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 7,367 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 1.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 52 %
Forested Land Use 46 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat

Instream Habitat 10/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters
13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:

Water temperature 16.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.66
Conductivity 231 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
1612 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.1 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Longnose Dace 68
Brown Trout 29
Bluegill 15
Blacknose Dace 10
Tessellated Darter 10
Creek Chub 9
Rosyside Dace 7
White Sucker 6
Cutlip Minnow 5
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

Eastern American Toad
Northern Dusky Salamander
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
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 38
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 12
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 9
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
Antocha Crane Fly 6
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 5
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Agapetus Tiny Black Short-Horned Caddisfly 3
Acentrella Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 3
Psychomyia Trumpet-Net Caddisfly 1
Goera 1
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 1
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 1
Drunella Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Dolophilodes Medium Evening Sedge Caddisfly 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.