MBSS Site Summary for: CA-S-187-133-97


Located on PATUXENT R UT1 in the Patuxent River lower watershed, 8-digit code: 02131101.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/18/1997 and again in the summer on 8/1/1997.

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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,895 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 7.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 22.8 %
Forested Land Use 68.2 %


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 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.99
Conductivity 236 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		432.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.2 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
Eastern Mudminnow 466
Blacknose Dace 24
Bluegill 17
Pumpkinseed 7
Tessellated Darter 6
American Eel 4
Eastern Mosquitofish 4
Creek Chubsucker 3
Redfin Pickerel 2
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Cricket Frog
Eastern Mud Turtle
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 33
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 16
Prosimulium Black Fly 6
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 6
Crangonyx Amphipod 4
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 3
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 3
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 2
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Cura Flatworm 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 1
Sublettea 1
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 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.