MBSS Site Summary for: PATL-502-X-2010

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-502-X-2010-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-502-X-2010-2 (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 3/9/2010 and again in the summer on 7/22/2010.

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 192,607 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 8.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 58.5 %
Forested Land Use 30.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 19/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 18/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 33 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 75 meters 		19/20 (Optimal)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 20 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.695
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		781.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.2825 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 16 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
River Chub 272
American Eel 173
Redbreast Sunfish 62
Spotfin Shiner 61
Tessellated Darter 29
Swallowtail Shiner 19
Central Stoneroller 14
Rock Bass 14
Smallmouth Bass 14
Blue Ridge Sculpin 13
Longnose Dace 12
Northern Hogsucker 12
Bluntnose Minnow 5
Common Shiner 5
Margined Madtom 5
Cutlip Minnow 4
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
English Ivy
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Paulownia
Tree Of Heaven
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.