MBSS Site Summary for: CONO-217-R-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-217-R-2002-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-217-R-2002-2 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-217-R-2002-3 (Opens in a new window)

Located on CONOCOCHEAGUE CR UT 2 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 7/8/2002.

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 Good - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 5,002 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 31 %
Agricultural Land Use 56 %
Forested Land Use 13 %


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 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 33 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 45 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 80 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 80%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.18
Conductivity 800 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		5228 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Potomac Sculpin 214
Longnose Dace 12
Blacknose Dace 3
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
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 40
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 30
Lirceus Isopod 19
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 8
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 7
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Antocha Crane Fly 3
Naididae Aquatic Worm 3
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Neophylax Caddisfly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Isotomidae Springtail 1
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 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.