MBSS Site Summary for: BACK-110-R-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-110-R-2002-353 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-110-R-2002-354 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-110-R-2002-355 (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 3/6/2002 and again in the summer on 6/5/2002.

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 - 1.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,547 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 81 %
Agricultural Land Use 4 %
Forested Land Use 14 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 12 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 75 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 75 %
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 26.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 10.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.52
Conductivity 530 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1532 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.6 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 102
Creek Chub 62
White Sucker 5
Swallowtail Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Stagnicola Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Limnophyes Non-Biting Midge 1
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 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.