MBSS Site Summary for: CE-P-022-319-97


Located on CONOWINGO CR in the Conowingo Dam Susq R watershed, 8-digit code: 02120204.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/11/1997 and again in the summer on 6/25/1997.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 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 27,359 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 0.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 80.7 %
Forested Land Use 18.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 17/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 5/20 (Poor)
Shading 25 %
Embeddedness 70 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 70%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 24.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.97
Conductivity 223 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		628.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 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 20 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
White Sucker 125
Common Shiner 63
Cutlip Minnow 63
Central Stoneroller 54
River Chub 45
Margined Madtom 33
Longnose Dace 29
Creek Chub 27
Northern Hogsucker 27
Bluntnose Minnow 19
Tessellated Darter 16
Rosyface Shiner 6
Satinfin Shiner 5
Spottail Shiner 5
Rosyside Dace 4
Smallmouth Bass 4
Green Sunfish 3
Blacknose Dace 2
Redbreast Sunfish 2
Golden Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
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
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 36
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 9
Heptagenia 8
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 8
Sublettea 7
Diamesa Bloodworm 5
Hydrobaenus Midge 5
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 5
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 2
Psephenus Water Penny 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Larsia Non-Biting Midge 1
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Stygobromus Amphipod 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 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.