MBSS Site Summary for: PATL-112-X-2015

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-112-X-2015_midpoint-at-P-looking-downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-112-X-2015_midpoint-at-P-looking-upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on DAVIS BRANCH in the Patapsco River L N Br watershed, 8-digit code: 02130906.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/15/2015 and again in the summer on 9/7/2015.

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 - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,094 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 39.6 %
Agricultural Land Use 36.2 %
Forested Land Use 23.4 %


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 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 16 meters 		4/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 59 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 92 %
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:
No water quality measurements available for this site.

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
Blue Ridge Sculpin 190
Longnose Dace 86
Blacknose Dace 67
Central Stoneroller 16
White Sucker 9
Cutlip Minnow 5
Tessellated Darter 5
Rosyside Dace 3
Creek Chub 2
Bluegill 1
Common Shiner 1
River Chub 1
Yellow Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Wavyleaf Basketgrass
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 20
Diamesa Bloodworm 16
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 14
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 12
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 11
Neophylax Caddisfly 10
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 8
Antocha Crane Fly 5
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 4
Hydropsychidae Common Netspinner Caddisfly 3
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 2
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Glossosoma Little Black Caddisfly 2
Hydrobaenus Midge 2
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 2
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 2
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 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.