MBSS Site Summary for: LIGU-113-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIGU-113-R-2003-686 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIGU-113-R-2003-687 (Opens in a new window)

Located on LITTLE GUNPOWDER FALLS UT5 in the Little Gunpowder Falls watershed, 8-digit code: 02130804.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/13/2003 and again in the summer on 6/10/2003.

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 - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 63 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 7 %
Agricultural Land Use 84 %
Forested Land Use 10 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 4/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 3/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		3/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		2/20 (Poor)
Shading 97 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 13.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.58
Conductivity 249 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		180.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.2 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
No Fish Observed 0
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 11
Tipulidae Cranefly 3
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Smittia European Non-Biting Midge 2
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.