MBSS Site Summary for: NCRW-304-N-2004


Located on ROCK CR in the Rock Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140206.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/27/2004 and again in the summer on 8/24/2004.

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 - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.7 / 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 39,867 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 56 %
Agricultural Land Use 21 %
Forested Land Use 22 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 55 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 49 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 50 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.41
Conductivity 404 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		931.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.9 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Longnose Dace 190
Spottail Shiner 92
Swallowtail Shiner 74
White Sucker 61
Blacknose Dace 43
Tessellated Darter 32
Fallfish 27
Yellow Bullhead 7
Bluntnose Minnow 5
Spotfin Shiner 3
American Eel 2
Redbreast Sunfish 2
Cutlip Minnow 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 25
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 25
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 19
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 7
Calopteryx Damselfly 6
Orthocladiinae Midge 6
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Limnophyes Non-Biting Midge 3
Paracladopelma Non-Biting Midge 2
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 2
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 2
Crangonyctidae Scud 2
Boyeria Spotted Darner Dragonfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Macronychus Riffle 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.