MBSS Site Summary for: FR-P-394-317-96


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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 4,093 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 57.5 %
Forested Land Use 39.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 17/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 10 %
Embeddedness 25 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.73
Conductivity 228 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		976.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.5 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 21 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 153
Bluntnose Minnow 142
Creek Chub 85
Longnose Dace 46
Redbreast Sunfish 41
White Sucker 31
Fantail Darter 29
Central Stoneroller 24
Bluegill 16
Silverjaw Minnow 12
Largemouth Bass 9
Greenside Darter 5
Banded Killifish 4
Creek Chubsucker 3
Yellow Bullhead 3
Pumpkinseed 2
Spottail Shiner 2
Golden Shiner 1
Lepomis Hybrid 1
Potomac Sculpin 1
Spotfin 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 57
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 8
Hydrobaenus Midge 8
Stenelmis Beetle 7
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 4
Allocapnia Small Winter Stonefly 2
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Cura Flatworm 2
Lumbriculidae Worm 2
Heptageniidae Flathead Mayfly 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 1
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 1
Orthocladiinae A 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.