MBSS Site Summary for: FR-P-429-307-96


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 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 - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.8 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 7,604 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 4.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 61.5 %
Forested Land Use 33.1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 55 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.3
Conductivity 290 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1826 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.8 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Potomac Sculpin 169
White Sucker 71
Bluntnose Minnow 38
Fantail Darter 28
Cutlip Minnow 16
Bluegill 15
Redbreast Sunfish 15
Longnose Dace 14
Rock Bass 13
Common Shiner 11
Spotfin Shiner 5
Blacknose Dace 4
Green Sunfish 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
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 24
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 12
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 8
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 7
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 6
Stenelmis Beetle 5
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 3
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 3
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 2
Macronychus Riffle Beetle 2
Prosimulium Black Fly 2
Stegopterna Black Fly 2
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 2
Crangonyx Amphipod 2
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 2
Stenacron Mayfly 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella 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.