MBSS Site Summary for: PATL-102-R-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-102-R-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-102-R-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT Brice Run in the Patapsco River L N Br watershed, 8-digit code: 02130906.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/16/2009 and again in the summer on 8/5/2009.

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 - 3.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 932 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 4.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 62.3 %
Forested Land Use 32.7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat

Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 63 meters
8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 15 meters
12/20 (Suboptimal)
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 19.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.17
Conductivity 222 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity)
518 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.7947 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
Blacknose Dace 386
Blue Ridge Sculpin 125
Rosyside Dace 36
Creek Chub 27
Bluegill 6
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:

American Bullfrog
Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:

Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:

Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:

Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Neophylax Caddisfly 20
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 14
Anchytarsus Beetle 11
Ephemerellidae Spiny Crawler Mayfly 7
Pagastia 6
Prosimulium Black Fly 5
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 5
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 4
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 3
Stegopterna Black Fly 3
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 2
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 2
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 2
Limnodrilus Worm 1
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Stempellinella Non-Biting Midges 1
Dytiscidae Predaceous Diving Beetle 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 1
Simuliidae Black Fly 1
Dugesiidae Flatworm 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 1
Limnephilus 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Spirosperma Aquatic Oligochaete Worm 1
Gomphidae Clubtail Dragonfly 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 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.