MBSS Site Summary for: HO-P-154-125-96


Located on SOUTH BR PATAPSCO UT1 in the S Branch Patapsco watershed, 8-digit code: 02130908.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/15/1996 and again in the summer on 6/26/1996.

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

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 388 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 9 %
Agricultural Land Use 54.4 %
Forested Land Use 36.1 %


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 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 60 %
Embeddedness 75 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 75%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.1
Conductivity 172 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		423.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.2 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 200
Rosyside Dace 140
Creek Chub 7
Central Stoneroller 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 45
Eurylophella Mayfly 13
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 11
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 10
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 8
Prosimulium Black Fly 4
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 3
Ameletidae Minnow Mayfly 3
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Centroptilum Small Minnow Mayfly 3
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 3
Serratella Mayfly 2
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 2
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Habrophlebia Prong-Gilled Mayfly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Larsia Non-Biting Midge 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Epeorus Mayfly 1
Eccoptura Yellow Stone Stonefly 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.