MBSS Site Summary for: CR-P-038-227-95


Located on W BRANCH PATAPSCO R in the Liberty Reservoir watershed, 8-digit code: 02130907.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/31/1995 and again in the summer on 7/18/1995.

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 - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 3,819 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 15.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 78.7 %
Forested Land Use 5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 10/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 15 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 23.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.11
Conductivity 326 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1830 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 50
Blacknose Dace 40
Central Stoneroller 31
Bluegill 10
Longnose Dace 10
White Sucker 4
Creek Chub 3
Largemouth Bass 3
Bluntnose Minnow 1
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Diamesa Bloodworm 34
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 17
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 11
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 8
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 6
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 5
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 3
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 2
Collembola Springtail 1
Tanytarsini Non-Biting Midges 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning 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.