MBSS Site Summary for: CONO-312-R-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-312-R-2002-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-312-R-2002-2 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-312-R-2002-3 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-312-R-2002-4 (Opens in a new window)

Located on RUSH RUN in the Conococheague Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140504.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/25/2002 and again in the summer on 7/9/2002.

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 - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.0 / 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 6,485 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 24 %
Agricultural Land Use 73 %
Forested Land Use 4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 40 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 42 meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.13
Conductivity 750 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		4445 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.7 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
Potomac Sculpin 189
Longnose Dace 67
Blacknose Dace 22
Bluntnose Minnow 20
White Sucker 18
Spotfin Shiner 9
Common Shiner 8
Fallfish 2
Green Sunfish 2
River Chub 2
Rock Bass 2
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Lirceus Isopod 123
Stenelmis Beetle 5
Crangonyx Amphipod 3
Gammarus Amphipod 3
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 3
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanytarsini Non-Biting Midges 1
Amphipoda Scud 1
Sublettea 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Hydropsychidae Common Netspinner Caddisfly 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.