MBSS Site Summary for: CR-P-415-103-96


Located on PINEY RUN UT2 in the S Branch Patapsco watershed, 8-digit code: 02130908.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/13/1996 and again in the summer on 6/13/1996.

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 Poor - 2.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 117 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 %
Agricultural Land Use 86.3 %
Forested Land Use 13.7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 100 %
Embeddedness 90 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 90%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 15.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.4 mg/L
Conductivity 90 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		118.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.9 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 31
Blue Ridge Sculpin 2
Creek Chub 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Red Salamander
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
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 13
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 8
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 8
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 8
Stegopterna Black Fly 7
Paracapnia Small Winter Stonefly 7
Diphetor Mayfly 5
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 4
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 3
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Prosimulium Black Fly 3
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 2
Epeorus Mayfly 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Dixa 1
Leucotrichia 1
Eccoptura Yellow Stone 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.