MBSS Site Summary for: LMON-136-R-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-136-R-2017-DownstreamFrom75m (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-136-R-2017-UpstreamFrom0m (Opens in a new window)

Located on Rock 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 7/24/2017.

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 Poor - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 945 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 31 %
Agricultural Land Use 6.5 %
Forested Land Use 61.4 %


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 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 8 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 69 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 0 %


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.74
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		892.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.0589 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 2 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 63
Creek Chub 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

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

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii

Exotic Plants:
Bush Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
AMPHINEMURA Spring Stonefly 55
DIPLECTRONA Net-Spinning Caddisfly 9
LEUCTRA  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 6
NEOPHYLAX Caddisfly 6
RHYACOPHILA Free-Living Caddisfly 5
BAETIS Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 5
CLINOCERA Aquatic Dance Fly 4
EPHEMERELLA Sulphur Mayfly 4
PERLIDAE Common Stonefly 2
ACRONEURIA Golden Stoneflies 2
CHEUMATOPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
ISOPERLA Stripetail Stonefly 1
HYDROPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
RHEOTANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 1
STEMPELLINELLA Non-Biting Midges 1
OPTIOSERVUS Riffle Beetle 1
ORTHOCLADIINAE Midge 1
LYPE Net Tube Caddisfly 1
POLYCENTROPUS Tube Maker 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.