MBSS Site Summary for: HO-P-001-214-97


Located on MIDDLE PATUXENT R UT2 TO UT1 in the Middle Patuxent River watershed, 8-digit code: 02131106.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/13/1997 and again in the summer on 7/3/1997.

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 Fair - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,347 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 69.3 %
Forested Land Use 28.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 25 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.39
Conductivity 204 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		539.8 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Rosyside Dace 97
Blacknose Dace 82
Tessellated Darter 82
White Sucker 39
Creek Chub 22
Fallfish 17
Longnose Dace 17
American Eel 10
Bluegill 1
Margined Madtom 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 47
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 11
Prosimulium Black Fly 8
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 8
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 5
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 5
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 4
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 3
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 2
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 1
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Anchytarsus Beetle 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Probezzia 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.