MBSS Site Summary for: BACK-105-R-2016

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-105-R-2016_midpoint downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-105-R-2016_midpoint upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on Stemmers Run in the Back River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130901.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/3/2016 and again in the summer on 8/8/2016.

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 - 2.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,733 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 87.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 0 %
Forested Land Use 12.7 %


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 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 15 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 20 %
Embeddedness 55 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 55%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.71
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1568.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.3625 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 488
Creek Chub 408
White Sucker 54
Swallowtail Shiner 42
American Eel 6
Eastern Mosquitofish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Knotweed
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mimosa
Oriental Bittersweet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 51
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 36
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 9
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 6
Orthocladiinae Midge 5
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Paratanytarsus 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.