MBSS Site Summary for: NCRW-208-N-2004


Located on CABIN BR 2 in the Potomac River MO Cnty watershed, 8-digit code: 02140202.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/27/2004 and again in the summer on 8/17/2004.

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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 1,187 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 %
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 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 67 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 8 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.3
Conductivity 145 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		521.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.3 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 15 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Spotfin Shiner 135
Bluntnose Minnow 57
Tessellated Darter 16
Creek Chub 15
Green Sunfish 9
Spottail Shiner 8
White Sucker 8
Central Stoneroller 6
Longear Sunfish 6
Yellow Bullhead 5
Pumpkinseed 2
Blacknose Dace 1
Fantail Darter 1
Golden Redhorse 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 58
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 9
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 5
Orthocladiinae Midge 5
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 5
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Crangonyx Amphipod 3
Empididae Dance Fly 2
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 2
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 2
Hydrobaenus Midge 1
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Caenis Mayfly 1
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Asellidae Aquatic Sow Bug 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Simulium Black Fly 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 1
Psephenus Water Penny 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.