MBSS Site Summary for: JONE-315-S-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site JONE-315-S-2017-ApproximateMidpointLookingDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site JONE-315-S-2017-ApproximateMidpointLookingUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on North Branch Jones Falls in the Jones Falls watershed, 8-digit code: 02130904.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/22/2017 and again in the summer on 8/17/2017.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 3,805 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 24.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 15.6 %
Forested Land Use 56.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 17/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 44 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 58 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 30 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 8.02
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1331.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.7007 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 67
Creek Chub 59
Longnose Dace 57
Brown Trout 55
White Sucker 47
Tessellated Darter 36
Cutlip Minnow 23
Bluegill 15
Green Sunfish 4
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

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

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Privet
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
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.