MBSS Site Summary for: CATO-125-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CATO-125-R-2003-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CATO-125-R-2003-3 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CATO-125-R-2003-2 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CATO-125-R-2003-4y (Opens in a new window)

Located on WEST BR (MP) UT1 in the Catoctin Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140305.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/11/2003 and again in the summer on 7/23/2003.

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 - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 736 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 5 %
Agricultural Land Use 72 %
Forested Land Use 23 %


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 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 28 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 47 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 40 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.53
Conductivity 319 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		582.4 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.7 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Green Sunfish 6
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 47
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 39
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 25
Diamesa Bloodworm 15
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 8
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 6
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 4
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Diamesinae Non-Biting Midges 2
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 2
Tipulidae Cranefly 1
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Bittacomorpha 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Simulium Black Fly 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.