MBSS Site Summary for: GA-A-523-203-96


Located on LAUREL RUN UT1 in the Potomac River U N Branch watershed, 8-digit code: 02141005.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/18/1996 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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 1,543 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 0 %
Agricultural Land Use 12.4 %
Forested Land Use 86.8 %


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 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 92 %
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 16.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.45
Conductivity 118 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		466.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.1 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Allegheny Mountain Dusky 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
Epeorus Mayfly 22
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 8
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 8
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 7
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 7
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 5
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 4
Diamesa Bloodworm 3
Pteronarcys Giant Stonefly 3
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 3
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 3
Sweltsa Stonefly 2
Cinygmula Dark Red Quill Mayfly 2
Wormaldia Fingernet Caddisfly 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Polypedilum 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.