MBSS Site Summary for: BIRD-203-B-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BIRD-203-B-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BIRD-203-B-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on White Marsh Run in the Bird River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130803.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/24/2009 and again in the summer on 6/30/2009.

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 - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,560 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 63.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 18.1 %
Forested Land Use 17.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 64 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 24 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.72
Conductivity 599 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1674.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.4064 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 207
Creek Chub 147
Swallowtail Shiner 119
Satinfin Shiner 87
Redbreast Sunfish 20
Largemouth Bass 18
Banded Killifish 14
White Sucker 14
Tessellated Darter 11
Bluegill 3
American Eel 2
Green Sunfish 2
Mummichog 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern American Toad
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 104
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 18
Orthocladiinae Midge 5
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 1
Thienemanniella 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.