MBSS Site Summary for: MILE-132-T-2005


Located on Potts Mill Creek in the Miles River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130502.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/31/2005 and again in the summer on 6/13/2005.

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 - 2.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 763 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 1 %
Agricultural Land Use 65 %
Forested Land Use 35 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 70 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 5 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.73
Conductivity 194 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		311.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 21.5384 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 9 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 547
Bluegill 79
Golden Shiner 60
Creek Chubsucker 12
Tessellated Darter 12
Pumpkinseed 8
Brown Bullhead 6
Tadpole Madtom 5
American Eel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Fowler's Toad
Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 33
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 13
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 10
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 8
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 8
Stenelmis Beetle 7
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 6
Orthocladiinae Midge 4
Simuliidae Black Fly 2
Helichus Beetle 2
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 2
Hydrobaenus Midge 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 1
Somatochlora 1
Stegopterna Black Fly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 1
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum 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.