MBSS Site Summary for: HO-P-151-222-96


Located on PATAPSCO R in the S Branch Patapsco watershed, 8-digit code: 02130908.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/13/1996 and again in the summer on 6/12/1996.

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 - 5.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 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 4,706 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 7 %
Agricultural Land Use 61.9 %
Forested Land Use 30.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 35 %
Embeddedness 72 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 72%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.61
Conductivity 247 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		488.3 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 291
Blacknose Dace 188
Central Stoneroller 122
Rosyside Dace 88
Longnose Dace 28
Common Shiner 23
Cutlip Minnow 16
White Sucker 12
Pumpkinseed 4
River Chub 3
Bluegill 1
Swallowtail Shiner 1
Tessellated Darter 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Red Salamander

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 7
Prosimulium Black Fly 6
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 1
Gomphidae Clubtail Dragonfly 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.