MBSS Site Summary for: FR-P-388-208-96


Located on TALBOT BR in the Lower Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140302.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/11/1996 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 - 1.8 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 3,036 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 1.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 57.7 %
Forested Land Use 40.5 %


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 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 50 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 14.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 10.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.24
Conductivity 142 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		301.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.8 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
Blacknose Dace 174
Blue Ridge Sculpin 146
Rosyside Dace 65
Potomac Sculpin 37
Fantail Darter 28
Creek Chub 27
Longnose Dace 27
White Sucker 15
Bluegill 2
Northern Hogsucker 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 42
Prosimulium Black Fly 29
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 8
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 7
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 4
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 2
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 2
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Paragnetina 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.