MBSS Site Summary for: BACK-206-R-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-206-R-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BACK-206-R-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on 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 7/30/2009.

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 Fair - 3.0 / 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 4,581 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 88.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 1.8 %
Forested Land Use 9.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 56 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 23 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 70 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 70%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 23.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.73
Conductivity 554 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1169.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.928 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 9 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 229
White Sucker 131
Creek Chub 110
Redbreast Sunfish 98
Satinfin Shiner 55
American Eel 47
Swallowtail Shiner 34
Mummichog 17
Banded Killifish 6
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
English Ivy
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Porcelainberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 18
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 16
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 6
Antocha Crane Fly 6
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 5
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 3
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 3
Lumbriculidae Worm 2
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 1
Prostoma Freshwater Nemertean (Ribbon Worm) 1
Gammarus Amphipod 1
Tubificidae Aquatic 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.