MBSS Site Summary for: HO-P-036-314-95


Located on PATAPSCO R in the S Branch Patapsco watershed, 8-digit code: 02130908.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/30/1995 and again in the summer on 8/1/1995.

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 - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.0 / 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 20,996 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 2.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 70.8 %
Forested Land Use 26.2 %


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 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 0/20 (Poor)
Shading 75 %
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 23.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.5
Conductivity 184 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		425.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2 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 20 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
White Sucker 237
Blue Ridge Sculpin 51
Cutlip Minnow 28
Northern Hogsucker 27
Bluegill 14
Common Shiner 12
Rock Bass 9
River Chub 7
Pumpkinseed 4
Tessellated Darter 4
Lepomis Hybrid 3
Creek Chub 2
Largemouth Bass 2
Redbreast Sunfish 2
Blacknose Dace 1
Central Stoneroller 1
Longnose Dace 1
Rosyface Shiner 1
Rosyside Dace 1
Smallmouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Pickerel Frog
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 47
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 37
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 8
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 4
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 4
Orthocladiinae Midge 4
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 4
Prosimulium Black Fly 2
Eurylophella Mayfly 2
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 2
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Larsia Non-Biting Midge 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 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.