MBSS Site Summary for: BACK-111-R-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-111-R-2002-451 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-111-R-2002-452 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-111-R-2002-520 (Opens in a new window)

Located on REDHOUSE CR in the Back River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130901.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/25/2002 and again in the summer on 6/4/2002.

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 - 2.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,877 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 84 %
Agricultural Land Use 3 %
Forested Land Use 12 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 6/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 72 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 6 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 88 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.91
Conductivity 470 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1604 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.1 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chub 266
Blacknose Dace 166
White Sucker 76
Fathead Minnow 68
Swallowtail Shiner 34
Mummichog 27
Satinfin Shiner 2
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 57
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 9
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 6
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 5
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 5
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 5
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 5
Crangonyx Amphipod 4
Orthocladiinae Midge 4
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 3
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 3
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 2
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Chironominae Non-Biting Midge 1
Limnophyes Non-Biting Midge 1
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 1
Gordiidae Horsehair Worm 1
Hydrobaenus Midge 1
Parametriocnemus 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.