MBSS Site Summary for: FR-P-349-204-96


Located on BALLENGER CR 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 6/3/1996.

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 Good - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.3 / 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 3,530 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 3.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 53.5 %
Forested Land Use 42.7 %


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 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 64 %
Embeddedness 55 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 55%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 14.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.88
Conductivity 298 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1592 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.4 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Potomac Sculpin 68
Brown Trout 12
White Sucker 12
Green Sunfish 4
Blacknose Dace 2
Bluegill 2
Fantail Darter 2
Blue Ridge Sculpin 1
Greenside Darter 1
Lepomis Hybrid 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Red-Backed Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 63
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 20
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 13
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 7
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 3
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Simulium Black Fly 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.