MBSS Site Summary for: CONO-312-R-2016

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-312-R-2016-MidpointDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CONO-312-R-2016-MidpointUpstream (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 3/23/2016 and again in the summer on 7/13/2016.

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 - 2.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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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 26.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 69.3 %
Forested Land Use 4.3 %


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 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 47 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 32 meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 8.23
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		4568 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.9365 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 9 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Potomac Sculpin 152
Blacknose Dace 46
Longnose Dace 32
Bluntnose Minnow 5
Rock Bass 4
Rainbow Darter 3
Greenside Darter 2
Creek Chub 1
Tessellated Darter 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mimosa
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Tree Of Heaven
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 46
Orthocladiinae Midge 16
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 10
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 8
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 5
Prosimulium Black Fly 3
Simulium Black Fly 3
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 3
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 3
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 3
Stenelmis Beetle 2
Tanytarsini Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Chironomini Non-Biting Midge 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Hydropsychidae Common Netspinner Caddisfly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Gammarus Amphipod 1
Synurella Amphipod 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 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.