MBSS Site Summary for: HO-P-208-120-97


Located on PLUMTREE BR in the Little Patuxent River watershed, 8-digit code: 02131105.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/10/1997 and again in the summer on 7/2/1997.

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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 598 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 42.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 23.7 %
Forested Land Use 33.7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.34
Conductivity 446 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1782 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4 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 8 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 280
White Sucker 25
Creek Chub 16
Redbreast Sunfish 5
American Eel 3
Green Sunfish 2
Rosyside Dace 1
Tessellated Darter 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel 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
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 51
Diamesa Bloodworm 19
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 7
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 5
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 4
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 3
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Helichus Beetle 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Simulium Black Fly 1
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 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.