MBSS Site Summary for: CR-P-280-340-96


Located on BIG PIPE CR in the Double Pipe Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140304.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/6/1996 and again in the summer on 8/12/1996.

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 - 5.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.8 / 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 22,489 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 0.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 73.4 %
Forested Land Use 25.1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 17/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 25 %
Embeddedness 40 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.35
Conductivity 182 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		628.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.1 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 17 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 172
Potomac Sculpin 97
Fantail Darter 40
Blacknose Dace 39
Longnose Dace 29
Creek Chub 25
White Sucker 19
Northern Hogsucker 15
Rosyside Dace 8
Bluntnose Minnow 7
Spottail Shiner 6
Silverjaw Minnow 3
Largemouth Bass 2
American Eel 1
Green Sunfish 1
Greenside Darter 1
Rosyface Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 12
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 6
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 5
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 5
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 5
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Ephemera Mayfly 2
Gyraulus White Ramshorn Freshwater Snail 2
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 2
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 2
Hyalella Amphipod 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Taeniopteryx Winter Stonefly 1
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 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.