MBSS Site Summary for: PATL-202-R-2015

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-202-R-2015_midpoint-looking-downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-202-R-2015_midpoint-looking-upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on ROCKBURN BRANCH in the Patapsco River L N Br watershed, 8-digit code: 02130906.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/17/2015 and again in the summer on 7/7/2015.

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 Poor - 2.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI N R

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 1,228 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 43.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 14.8 %
Forested Land Use 36 %


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 10/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 19 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 62 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 70 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 70%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.85
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1197.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.8108 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 161
Blue Ridge Sculpin 66
Longnose Dace 46
Tessellated Darter 39
Creek Chub 22
Bluegill 17
Rosyside Dace 10
Redbreast Sunfish 6
American Eel 5
White Sucker 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
English Ivy
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Vinca Vine
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Benthic data unavailable.
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.