MBSS Site Summary for: LIGU-114-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIGU-114-R-2003-684 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIGU-114-R-2003-685 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIGU-114-R-2003-838 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LIGU-114-R-2003-839 (Opens in a new window)

Located on DICK BR in the Little Gunpowder Falls watershed, 8-digit code: 02130804.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/12/2003 and again in the summer on 6/5/2003.

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 - 2.0 / 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 210 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 14 %
Agricultural Land Use 80 %
Forested Land Use 7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 17/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 17 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 60 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 96 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 12.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.6
Conductivity 148 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		209.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.2 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 229
Creek Chub 52
American Eel 4
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

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

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

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

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 42
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 24
Stegopterna Black Fly 9
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 9
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 4
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 4
Tipula Crane Fly 3
Simuliidae Black Fly 3
Neophylax Caddisfly 2
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 2
Ephemerellidae Spiny Crawler Mayfly 2
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 2
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Trissopelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 1
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 1
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Chironomidae Non-Biting Midge 1
Ectopria Water Penny Beetle 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 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.