MBSS Site Summary for: PATL-501-X-2012

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-501-X-2012-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-501-X-2012-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on PATAPSCO RIVER in the Patapsco River L N Br watershed, 8-digit code: 02130906.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/7/2012 and again in the summer on 7/25/2012.

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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.0 / 5.0

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 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 17 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 20 %
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:
pH (lab) 7.9
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		902.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.3832 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 25 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 182
Redbreast Sunfish 69
Northern Hogsucker 37
Swallowtail Shiner 20
Bluegill 16
Smallmouth Bass 15
Tessellated Darter 15
Bluntnose Minnow 11
Spotfin Shiner 10
River Chub 8
Banded Killifish 7
Fallfish 7
Striped Bass 6
Spottail Shiner 5
Yellow Perch 5
Cutlip Minnow 4
Yellow Bullhead 4
Largemouth Bass 3
Rock Bass 3
White Sucker 3
Sea Lamprey 2
Creek Chub 1
Margined Madtom 1
Satinfin Shiner 1
White Perch 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Hops
Japanese Stiltgrass
Oriental Bittersweet
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 32
Hydrobaenus Midge 23
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 14
Gammarus Amphipod 13
Orthocladiinae Midge 7
Diamesa Bloodworm 5
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 4
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 3
Stenelmis Beetle 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
PERLIDAE Common Stonefly 1
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 1
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 1
Microcylloepus Riffle Beetle 1
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 1
TANYTARSINI Non-Biting Midges 1
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum 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.