MBSS Site Summary for: CR-P-363-230-96


Located on PINEY RUN in the S Branch Patapsco watershed, 8-digit code: 02130908.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/18/1996 and again in the summer on 6/27/1996.

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 - 2.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 7,097 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 1.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 71 %
Forested Land Use 22.3 %


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 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 17/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 79 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 25.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.25
Conductivity 128 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		438.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.1 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 101
Cutlip Minnow 73
White Sucker 19
Blacknose Dace 18
Longnose Dace 17
Rosyside Dace 15
Creek Chub 5
Redbreast Sunfish 4
Tessellated Darter 4
Central Stoneroller 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Fowler's Toad
Northern Ring-Necked Snake
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 20
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 14
Orthocladiinae Midge 13
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 12
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 10
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 9
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 6
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 4
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 4
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 3
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Prosimulium Black Fly 2
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Diamesinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Oemopteryx Stonefly 1
Capniidae Small 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.