MBSS Site Summary for: HO-P-094-116-96


Located on HAY MEADOW BR UT1 in the S Branch Patapsco watershed, 8-digit code: 02130908.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/19/1996 and again in the summer on 7/10/1996.

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 - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 639 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 1.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 81.7 %
Forested Land Use 13.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 40 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.8
Conductivity 114 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		228.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.2 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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 176
Blacknose Dace 57
Creek Chub 6
Longnose Dace 5
White Sucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 55
Prosimulium Black Fly 8
Anchytarsus Beetle 5
Neophylax Caddisfly 4
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 4
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 2
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 1
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 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.