MBSS Site Summary for: CONO-208-R-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-208-R-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-208-R-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Meadow Brook in the Conococheague Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140504.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/27/2009 and again in the summer on 6/25/2009.

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 Poor - 1.8 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 5,202 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 8.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 79.7 %
Forested Land Use 11.1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 64 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 27 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 50 %
Embeddedness 0 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.26
Conductivity 687 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		5126.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.4037 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 12 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 64
Banded Killifish 40
Blacknose Dace 15
Creek Chub 12
Longnose Dace 7
White Sucker 7
Rock Bass 5
Green Sunfish 2
Yellow Bullhead 2
Fantail Darter 1
Greenside Darter 1
Smallmouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Multiflora Rose
Tree Of Heaven
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 34
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 20
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 12
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 12
Simulium Black Fly 9
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 9
Crangonyx Amphipod 7
Stenelmis Beetle 6
Orthocladiinae Midge 5
Amphipoda Scud 3
Naididae Aquatic Worm 3
Caecidotea Isopod 3
Prosimulium Black Fly 2
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Potthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus 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.