MBSS Site Summary for: BACK-205-R-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-205-R-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-205-R-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT Herring Run in the Back River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130901.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/5/2009 and again in the summer on 7/14/2009.

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 - 2.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,705 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 81.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 2.5 %
Forested Land Use 15.5 %


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 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 60 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 17 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.59
Conductivity 614 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1146.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.8745 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
Blacknose Dace 151
White Sucker 119
Creek Chub 47
American Eel 17
Swallowtail Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
English Ivy
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Knotweed
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 25
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 17
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 16
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 12
Lumbriculidae Worm 11
Natarsia Non-Biting Midges 5
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Crangonyx Amphipod 4
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Corynoneura 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.