MBSS Site Summary for: FR-P-421-306-96


Located on BUSH 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 8/28/1996.

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 - 4.3 / 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 19,046 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 3.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 63.1 %
Forested Land Use 32.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 19/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 18/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		19/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 55 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 55%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.74
Conductivity 200 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		739 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.9 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 24 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 56
Longnose Dace 32
Blacknose Dace 27
Spotfin Shiner 24
White Sucker 19
Potomac Sculpin 16
Fallfish 15
Central Stoneroller 11
Greenside Darter 10
Creek Chub 6
Redbreast Sunfish 5
Cutlip Minnow 4
Bluegill 3
Bluntnose Minnow 2
Common Shiner 2
Northern Hogsucker 2
Pumpkinseed 2
Rock Bass 2
Smallmouth Bass 2
Spottail Shiner 2
Fantail Darter 1
Green Sunfish 1
Largemouth Bass 1
River Chub 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 24
Prosimulium Black Fly 23
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 17
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 8
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 7
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 7
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 1
Allocapnia Small Winter Stonefly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Ormosia Cranefly 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Hirudinea Leech 1
Ephemera Mayfly 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.