MBSS Site Summary for: BA-P-458-108-96


Located on GUNPOWDER FALLS UT1 in the Loch Raven Reservoir watershed, 8-digit code: 02130805.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/22/1996 and again in the summer on 6/13/1996.

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 Good - 4.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 130 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 62.3 %
Forested Land Use 38.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 70 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 70%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.59
Conductivity 100 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		144.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2 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 Dusky Salamander
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 46
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 5
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 4
Stenacron Mayfly 4
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 3
Stempellinella Non-Biting Midges 3
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 2
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 2
Stegopterna Black Fly 2
Diamesa Bloodworm 2
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Dolophilodes Medium Evening Sedge Caddisfly 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Lepidostoma Little Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Dixa 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.