MBSS Site Summary for: GA-A-017-223-96


Located on LAUREL RUN in the Potomac River U N Branch watershed, 8-digit code: 02141005.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/3/1996 and again in the summer on 8/5/1996.

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 Poor - 2.5 / 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 1,827 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 16 %
Forested Land Use 80 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 17/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 30 %
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 16 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.6
Conductivity 100 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		132 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1 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 2 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 132
Creek Chub 22
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Red-Spotted Newt

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 26
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 14
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 5
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 4
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Tipula Crane Fly 4
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 2
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Paramerina Non-Biting Midge 2
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 2
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Chloroperlidae Green Stonefly 1
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 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.