MBSS Site Summary for: LMON-107-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-107-R-2003-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-107-R-2003-4 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-107-R-2003-2 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-107-R-2003-3 (Opens in a new window)

Located on BENS BR UT1 in the Lower Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140302.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/2/2003 and again in the summer on 6/16/2003.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,373 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 5 %
Agricultural Land Use 81 %
Forested Land Use 13 %


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 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 35 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 56 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 93 %
Embeddedness 30 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 16.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.3
Conductivity 358 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		2304 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.6 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 134
Blue Ridge Sculpin 36
Fantail Darter 24
Bluntnose Minnow 22
Potomac Sculpin 13
Spottail Shiner 8
Bluegill 7
Longnose Dace 6
Greenside Darter 4
Redbreast Sunfish 3
White Sucker 2
Yellow Bullhead 2
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Diamesa Bloodworm 37
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 24
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 13
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 11
Stenelmis Beetle 8
Naididae Aquatic Worm 4
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 4
Orthocladiinae Midge 3
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 3
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 3
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 3
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Stempellinella Non-Biting Midges 2
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 2
Simulium Black Fly 2
Sublettea 1
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Anchytarsus Beetle 1
Simuliidae Black Fly 1
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Chironominae Non-Biting Midge 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 1
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 1
Natarsia Non-Biting Midges 1
Pseudorthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsini Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Allocapnia Small Winter Stonefly 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.