MBSS Site Summary for: CATO-520-R-2023

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CATO-520-R-2023_Midpoint_facing_downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CATO-520-R-2023_Midpoint_facing_upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on CATOCTIN CREEK in the Catoctin Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140305.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/22/2023 and again in the summer on 8/29/2023.

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 Good - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area No data available A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 13.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 42.4 %
Forested Land Use 44 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 65 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 10 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 35 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 24.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.81 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.73
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		886.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.566 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 29 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Redbreast Sunfish 228
Bluntnose Minnow 206
Spotfin Shiner 167
Longear Sunfish 130
Smallmouth Bass 78
Mimic Shiner 64
Greenside Darter 35
Central Stoneroller 29
Golden Redhorse 26
Yellow Bullhead 25
Rosyface Shiner 18
Northern Hogsucker 17
Silverjaw Minnow 17
Green Sunfish 15
Longnose Dace 14
Spottail Shiner 14
Rock Bass 13
Bluehead Chub 10
Swallowtail Shiner 9
Tessellated Darter 8
White Sucker 6
Fantail Darter 5
Rainbow Darter 5
Bluegill 3
Fallfish 2
Margined Madtom 2
Satinfin Shiner 2
Cutlip Minnow 1
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern American Toad
Fowler's Toad

Crayfish:
Faxonius obscurus
Faxonius virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Hops
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
TANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 41
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 21
PARAKIEFFERIELLA European Non-Biting Midge 20
HYDROBAENUS Midge 8
DICROTENDIPES Non-Biting Midges 8
EPHEMERELLA Sulphur Mayfly 5
CLADOTANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midge 4
HYDROPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
STENELMIS Beetle 3
STEMPELLINELLA Non-Biting Midges 2
ABLABESMYIA Non-Biting Midge 2
PERLESTA 2
CRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 2
POTTHASTIA Non-Biting Midges 2
RHEOTANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 1
MICROPSECTRA Non-Biting Midges 1
CRYPTOCHIRONOMUS Non-Biting Midges 1
DIAMESINAE Non-Biting Midges 1
SUBLETTEA 1
STENOCHIRONOMUS European Non-Biting Midge 1
EURYLOPHELLA Mayfly 1
CHEUMATOPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
TRIBELOS Non-Biting Midges 1
OPTIOSERVUS 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.