MBSS Site Summary for: LANG-204-R-2016

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LANG-204-R-2016_Midpoint downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LANG-204-R-2016_Midpoint upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on Fanels Branch in the Langford Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02130506.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/24/2016 and again in the summer on 8/15/2016.

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 - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.1 / 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 3,479 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 4.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 81.5 %
Forested Land Use 7.1 %


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 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 73 meters
14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 2 meters
6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 5 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:

pH (lab) 7.27
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
595.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.4917 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Tessellated Darter 38
American Eel 32
Bluegill 11
Eastern Mosquitofish 8
Goldfish 8
Pumpkinseed 7
Green Sunfish 5
Spottail Shiner 3
Brown Bullhead 2
Largemouth Bass 2
Creek Chubsucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

Eastern Cricket Frog
Eastern Gartersnake
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:

No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:

No Exotic Plants Observed
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 15
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 13
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 12
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 11
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 10
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 8
Simulium Black Fly 6
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 3
Oecetis Long-Horned Caddisfly 2
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 2
Gammarus Amphipod 2
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 2
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 2
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 1
Hydrobiidae Pebble Snail 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Macronychus Riffle Beetle 1
Microcylloepus Riffle Beetle 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Chironomini Non-Biting Midge 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Paralauterborniella 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Bezzia Biting Midge 1
Erioptera Cranefly 1
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 1
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Triaenodes Long-Horned Caddisfly 1
Hydroptila Microcaddisfly 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.