MBSS Site Summary for: BALT-117-R-2004

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BALT-117-R-2004-79 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BALT-117-R-2004-80 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BALT-117-R-2004-81 (Opens in a new window)

Located on MARLEY CR in the Baltimore Harbor watershed, 8-digit code: 02130903.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/10/2004 and again in the summer on 6/14/2004.

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 - 1.9 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 148 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 80 %
Agricultural Land Use 3 %
Forested Land Use 15 %


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 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 57 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 18 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 98 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 98%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 3.5 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (3.5 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.94
Conductivity 321 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		750.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.3 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluegill 11
Redfin Pickerel 10
Pumpkinseed 8
Brown Bullhead 7
Golden Shiner 4
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:
English Ivy
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Lumbriculidae Worm 20
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 5
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 4
Tipula Crane Fly 4
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Natarsia Non-Biting Midges 2
Gordiidae Horsehair Worm 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Limnodrilus 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.