MBSS Site Summary for: LMON-108-R-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-108-R-2017-MidpointDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-108-R-2017-MidpointUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on Weldon Creek in the Lower Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140302.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/5/2017 and again in the summer on 7/26/2017.

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 - 4.5 / 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 487 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 7 %
Agricultural Land Use 21.6 %
Forested Land Use 71 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 44 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 47 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 75 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 75%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.4
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		415.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.2294 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 117
Blue Ridge Sculpin 33
Fantail Darter 16
Creek Chub 5
Longnose Dace 1
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

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

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Stiltgrass
Lesser Celandine (Fig Buttercup)
Multiflora Rose
Wineberry
Wisteria
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
AMPHINEMURA Spring Stonefly 58
NEOPHYLAX Caddisfly 16
DIPLECTRONA Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
OULIMNIUS Riffle Beetle 6
ISOPERLA Stripetail Stonefly 3
PROSTOIA Spring Stonefly 3
CHEUMATOPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
MICROPSECTRA Non-Biting Midges 3
PARAMETRIOCNEMUS Non-Biting Midges 2
STEMPELLINELLA Non-Biting Midges 2
LEUCTRA  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 2
LYPE Net Tube Caddisfly 2
ANTOCHA Crane Fly 2
TRISSOPELOPIA Non-Biting Midges 2
LEPTOPHLEBIIDAE Pronggilled Mayfly 1
OPTIOSERVUS Riffle Beetle 1
TALLAPERLA Roach-Like Stonefly 1
EPHEMERELLA Sulphur Mayfly 1
ACERPENNA Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 1
ECCOPTURA Yellow Stone Stonefly 1
SWELTSA Stonefly 1
GLOSSOSOMA Little Black Caddisfly 1
TRIAENODES Long-Horned Caddisfly 1
DIPHETOR Mayfly 1
EURYLOPHELLA Mayfly 1
AMELETUS Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
THIENEMANNIELLA Non-Biting Midges 1
THIENEMANNIMYIA GROUP Non-Biting Midges 1
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 1
CHAETOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 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.