MBSS Site Summary for: CR-P-116-327-96


Located on PINEY CR in the Upper Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140303.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/5/1996 and again in the summer on 8/8/1996.

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 - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 20,988 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 2.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 81.7 %
Forested Land Use 14.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 17/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 40 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.83
Conductivity 262 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		895.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.6 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 18 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Spottail Shiner 85
Bluntnose Minnow 81
Longnose Dace 58
Greenside Darter 47
Blacknose Dace 22
Redbreast Sunfish 20
Creek Chub 18
Central Stoneroller 15
Yellow Bullhead 10
Margined Madtom 7
Spotfin Shiner 6
Tessellated Darter 6
Smallmouth Bass 5
Fantail Darter 4
Silverjaw Minnow 3
Green Sunfish 1
Rock Bass 1
White Sucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
Eastern Box Turtle
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydrobaenus Midge 75
Paracapnia Small Winter Stonefly 5
Prosimulium Black Fly 4
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 3
Stenelmis Beetle 2
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Leucrocuta Mayfly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Taeniopteryx Winter Stonefly 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.