MBSS Site Summary for: BACK-102-B-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-102-B-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-102-B-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on REDHOUSE CREEK in the Back River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130901.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/12/2008 and again in the summer on 8/4/2008.

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 - 2.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,158 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 84.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 3.2 %
Forested Land Use 12.1 %


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 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 32 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 50 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 45 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.73
Conductivity 368 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1741.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.2964 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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chub 211
Blacknose Dace 102
Redbreast Sunfish 9
White Sucker 5
Fathead Minnow 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes
Orconectes
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Mimosa
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 62
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 13
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 10
Antocha Crane Fly 9
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 7
Limnodrilus Worm 4
Lumbriculidae Worm 4
Hydrobaenus Midge 3
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 3
Prostoma Freshwater Nemertean (Ribbon Worm) 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 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.