MBSS Site Summary for: PATL-501-X-2009

Site Photos

Located on Patapsco River in the Patapsco River L N Br watershed, 8-digit code: 02130906.
This stream was visited in the spring on 8/27/2009 and again in the summer on 8/27/2009.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI N R

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 195,371 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 8.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 57.9 %
Forested Land Use 31.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 55 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 70 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 35 %
Embeddedness 50 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 25.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.5 mg/L
Conductivity 276 µmho/cm

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 26 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 381
River Chub 151
Satinfin Shiner 95
Redbreast Sunfish 88
Spottail Shiner 69
Northern Hogsucker 37
Common Shiner 18
Tessellated Darter 17
Bluntnose Minnow 15
Swallowtail Shiner 14
Bluegill 10
Longnose Dace 10
Margined Madtom 10
White Sucker 9
Yellow Bullhead 8
Fallfish 7
Rock Bass 7
Smallmouth Bass 6
Sea Lamprey 4
Black Crappie 2
Blue Ridge Sculpin 2
Central Stoneroller 2
Green Sunfish 2
Pumpkinseed 2
Common Carp 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Gray Treefrog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Northern Watersnake
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Hops
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
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.