MBSS Site Summary for: BALT-110-R-2001

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BALT-110-R-2001-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BALT-110-R-2001-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on MARLEY CREEK UT5 in the Baltimore Harbor watershed, 8-digit code: 02130903.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/1/2001 and again in the summer on 6/1/2001.

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 - 2.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 670 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 79 %
Agricultural Land Use 3 %
Forested Land Use 19 %


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 = 70 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 12 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 70 %
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 13.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.96
Conductivity 360 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		619.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.8 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
Creek Chubsucker 7
Pumpkinseed 4
Golden Shiner 2
Eastern Mudminnow 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Stygobromus Amphipod 17
Lumbriculidae Worm 5
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 4
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 3
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 3
Stagnicola Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 2
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 2
Agabus Predatory Aquatic Beetle 2
Pyralidae Snout Moth 1
Boyeria Spotted Darner Dragonfly 1
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Spirosperma Aquatic Oligochaete Worm 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Ormosia Cranefly 1
Isotomurus Elongate-Bodied Springtail 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.