MBSS Site Summary for: CONO-107-R-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-107-R-2002-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-107-R-2002-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on TROUPE RUN in the Conococheague Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140504.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/19/2002 and again in the summer on 6/13/2002.

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 - 2.0 / 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 1,903 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 23 %
Agricultural Land Use 76 %
Forested Land Use 1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 3/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 55 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 24 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 25 %
Embeddedness 85 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 85%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 13.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.36
Conductivity 820 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		3510 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.8 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 28
Bluntnose Minnow 15
Green Sunfish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Crangonyx Amphipod 50
Probezzia Biting Midges 26
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 11
Isotomurus Elongate-Bodied Springtail 6
Sphaerium Fingernail Clam 4
Hydrophilidae Water Scavenger Beetle 2
Gordiidae Horsehair Worm 1
Limnophyes Non-Biting Midge 1
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Laccophilus Water Beetle 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 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.