MBSS Site Summary for: PATL-504-X-2010

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-504-X-2010-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-504-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 8/9/2010.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI N R

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 191,256 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 %
Agricultural Land Use 58.8 %
Forested Land Use 30.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 4 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 78 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 8.055
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		759.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.286 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 21 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Redbreast Sunfish 104
Bluntnose Minnow 92
American Eel 72
Tessellated Darter 67
White Sucker 46
Northern Hogsucker 38
Spotfin Shiner 19
River Chub 15
Cutlip Minnow 14
Margined Madtom 12
Yellow Bullhead 10
Smallmouth Bass 9
Blue Ridge Sculpin 7
Common Shiner 7
Rock Bass 7
Blacknose Dace 5
Creek Chub 4
Green Sunfish 4
Swallowtail Shiner 3
Central Stoneroller 1
Rosyface Shiner 1
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:
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Hops
Japanese Knotweed
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Purple Loosestrife
White Mulberry
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.