MBSS Site Summary for: LMON-231-T-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-231-T-2000-01 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site LMON-231-T-2000-02 (Opens in a new window)

Located on BALLENGER CR UT1 UT1 in the Lower Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140302.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/29/2000 and again in the summer on 7/11/2000.

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 Poor - 2.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 146 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 7.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 77 %
Forested Land Use 11.4 %


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 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 5/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 51 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 24 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 40 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 3.1 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (3.1 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.95
Conductivity 590 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		817.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.3 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
Green Sunfish 54
Blacknose Dace 11
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:
Canada Thistle
Japanese Honeysuckle
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 65
Pisidium Freshwater Pea (Pill) Clam 12
Agabus Predatory Aquatic Beetle 7
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 6
Hydroporus Water Beetle 6
Prostoma Freshwater Nemertean (Ribbon Worm) 3
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 3
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 3
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Parametriocnemus 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.