MBSS Site Summary for: FR-P-461-251-96


Located on BENS BR in the Lower Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140302.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/21/1996 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 - 2.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 4,225 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 %
Agricultural Land Use 61.1 %
Forested Land Use 37.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 20 %
Embeddedness 35 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.38
Conductivity 164 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		631 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.6 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 19 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 211
Potomac Sculpin 159
Fantail Darter 77
Bluegill 62
White Sucker 59
Longnose Dace 51
Blue Ridge Sculpin 50
Bluntnose Minnow 41
Creek Chub 20
Redbreast Sunfish 16
Largemouth Bass 8
Central Stoneroller 7
Silverjaw Minnow 6
Greenside Darter 4
Yellow Bullhead 3
Green Sunfish 2
Common Shiner 1
Lepomis Hybrid 1
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 30
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 12
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 10
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 9
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 6
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 5
Ephemera Mayfly 4
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 4
Eurylophella Mayfly 3
Caenis Mayfly 3
Ferrissia Small Air-Breathing Freshwater Limpets 3
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 2
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Stempellinella Non-Biting Midges 1
Heptageniidae Flathead Mayfly 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Hydroptila Microcaddisfly 1
Stictochironomus Non-Biting Midge 1
Corixidae Water Boatman 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.