MBSS Site Summary for: BC-N-014-224-95


Located on MOORES RUN in the Back River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130901.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/20/1995 and again in the summer on 8/3/1995.

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 - 1.9 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,757 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 85.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 5.7 %
Forested Land Use 8.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 0/20 (Poor)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 28.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.42
Conductivity 548 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1973 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Mummichog 250
Fathead Minnow 198
White Sucker 62
Swallowtail Shiner 54
Golden Shiner 6
Pumpkinseed 5
Redbreast Sunfish 3
Satinfin Shiner 3
Blacknose Dace 2
Creek Chub 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 24
Limnodrilus Worm 17
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 10
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 6
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 4
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Stygobromus Amphipod 1
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Planorbidae Ramshorn Snail 1
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 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.