MBSS Site Summary for: LCON-207-B-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LCON-207-B-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LCON-207-B-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on LITTLE CONOCOCHEAGUE CREEK in the Little Conococheague watershed, 8-digit code: 02140505.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/18/2008 and again in the summer on 7/14/2008.

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 Poor - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,580 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 2.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 6.7 %
Forested Land Use 90.5 %


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 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 60 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 19 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 99 %
Embeddedness 40 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.21
Conductivity 127 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		280.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.3883 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 72
White Sucker 34
Creek Chub 18
Bluegill 9
Green Sunfish 5
Bluntnose Minnow 3
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Upland Chorus Frog

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 74
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 11
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 8
Neophylax Caddisfly 4
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 3
Stegopterna Black Fly 2
Platycentropus 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Isotomurus Elongate-Bodied Springtail 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Ptilostomis Giant Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 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.