MBSS Site Summary for: FR-P-050-354-96


Located on CABBAGE RUN in the Lower Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140302.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/18/1996 and again in the summer on 7/3/1996.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 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 4,448 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 0.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 58.8 %
Forested Land Use 38.4 %


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 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 17/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 15 %
Embeddedness 20 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.61
Conductivity 244 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1070 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 16 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 168
Redbreast Sunfish 74
Blacknose Dace 33
White Sucker 30
Creek Chub 24
Banded Killifish 19
Fantail Darter 15
Spottail Shiner 10
Yellow Bullhead 8
Central Stoneroller 7
Satinfin Shiner 7
Largemouth Bass 4
Longnose Dace 4
Silverjaw Minnow 4
Bluegill 3
Common Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
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
Prosimulium Black Fly 41
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 19
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 14
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 9
Paracapnia Small Winter Stonefly 7
Diamesa Bloodworm 4
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 2
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 1
Simulium Black Fly 1
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella 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.