MBSS Site Summary for: MILE-204-R-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site MILE-204-R-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site MILE-204-R-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Potts Mill Creek in the Miles River watershed, 8-digit code: 02130502.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/21/2007 and again in the summer on 6/25/2007.

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 - 4.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,294 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 3.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 62.3 %
Forested Land Use 33.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 5/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 70 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 11 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.13
Conductivity 345 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		759.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 10.4748 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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 51
Least Brook Lamprey 24
American Eel 22
Tessellated Darter 14
Pirate Perch 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Fowler's Toad
Northern Green Frog
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prosimulium Black Fly 18
Gammarus Amphipod 16
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 14
Stegopterna Black Fly 12
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 12
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 4
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 2
Musculium Fingernail Clam 2
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 2
Caenis Mayfly 2
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 2
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Macronychus Riffle Beetle 1
Capniidae Small Winter Stonefly 1
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Simulium Black Fly 1
Helichus Beetle 1
Stenelmis Beetle 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.