MBSS Site Summary for: MO-P-370-308-97


Located on MAINSTEM PATUXENT R in the Brighton Dam watershed, 8-digit code: 02131108.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/20/1997 and again in the summer on 7/16/1997.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 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 18,539 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 0.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 63.4 %
Forested Land Use 35.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 50 %
Embeddedness 17 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.06
Conductivity 112 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		273.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.4 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 19 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
White Sucker 221
Longnose Dace 154
Central Stoneroller 85
Rosyside Dace 71
Tessellated Darter 51
Fallfish 36
Blacknose Dace 33
Largemouth Bass 27
Creek Chub 26
Common Shiner 10
Brown Trout 8
River Chub 8
Northern Hogsucker 6
Margined Madtom 5
Green Sunfish 4
Smallmouth Bass 4
Bluegill 1
Cutlip Minnow 1
Fathead Minnow 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
Eastern Box Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Red Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 21
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 11
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 11
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 9
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 7
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 6
Prosimulium Black Fly 6
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 4
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Epeorus Mayfly 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 1
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 1
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 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.