MBSS Site Summary for: BRIG-301-R-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site BRIG-301-R-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site BRIG-301-R-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Patuxent River in the Brighton Dam watershed, 8-digit code: 02131108.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/10/2009 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 Poor - 2.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 19,198 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 1.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 59.1 %
Forested Land Use 38.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 31 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 48 meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 15 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.19
Conductivity 157 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		331.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.1939 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 18 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 37
River Chub 15
Central Stoneroller 13
Longnose Dace 9
Tessellated Darter 9
Fallfish 8
White Sucker 8
Margined Madtom 7
Northern Hogsucker 6
Rosyside Dace 6
Common Shiner 3
Creek Chub 3
Bluntnose Minnow 2
Bluegill 1
Brown Trout 1
Cutlip Minnow 1
Redbreast Sunfish 1
Yellow Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Privet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 20
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 16
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 12
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 12
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 5
Ephemerellidae Spiny Crawler Mayfly 5
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 4
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 4
Ceratopsyche 3
Prosimulium Black Fly 3
Neophylax Caddisfly 3
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Capniidae Small Winter Stonefly 3
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 2
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 2
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Potthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 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.