MBSS Site Summary for: MO-P-325-216-97


Located on NORTH BR ROCK CR in the Rock Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140206.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/10/1997 and again in the summer on 6/4/1997.

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 Good - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 2,050 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 1.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 56.5 %
Forested Land Use 41.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 50 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 12 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.14
Conductivity 80 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		389.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.2 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 12 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Potomac Sculpin 39
Common Shiner 22
Rosyside Dace 19
Blacknose Dace 12
White Sucker 9
Creek Chub 4
Blue Ridge Sculpin 2
Cutlip Minnow 2
Fallfish 2
Largemouth Bass 2
Longnose Dace 1
Tessellated Darter 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 47
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 12
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 6
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 6
Prosimulium Black Fly 5
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 4
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
Boyeria Spotted Darner Dragonfly 1
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 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.