MBSS Site Summary for: FR-P-009-341-96


Located on FLAT RUN in the Upper Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140303.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/14/1996 and again in the summer on 8/6/1996.

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 - 4.7 / 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 6,702 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 1.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 63.5 %
Forested Land Use 34.1 %


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 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 45 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.49
Conductivity 278 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1080 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.2 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 16 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Central Stoneroller 416
Fantail Darter 225
Blacknose Dace 128
Creek Chub 83
Greenside Darter 77
Bluntnose Minnow 68
Longnose Dace 64
Bluegill 11
Largemouth Bass 7
Spotfin Shiner 6
White Sucker 6
Green Sunfish 5
Redbreast Sunfish 5
Common Shiner 2
Yellow Bullhead 2
Northern Hogsucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle
Eastern Snapping Turtle
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
Paracapnia Small Winter Stonefly 28
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 25
Prosimulium Black Fly 23
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 13
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 3
Leucrocuta Mayfly 2
Bezzia Biting Midge 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Psephenus Water Penny 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.