MBSS Site Summary for: PATL-515-X-2014

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-515-X-2014-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PATL-515-X-2014-2 (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 3/19/2014 and again in the summer on 9/16/2014.

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 N R
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 193,779 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 21.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 37.3 %
Forested Land Use 37.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 40 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
No water quality measurements available for this site.

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 18 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 216
Swallowtail Shiner 73
Redbreast Sunfish 69
White Sucker 48
Spotfin Shiner 30
Tessellated Darter 27
Smallmouth Bass 22
American Eel 20
Northern Hogsucker 16
Satinfin Shiner 15
Banded Killifish 11
Rock Bass 6
Yellow Bullhead 3
Bluegill 2
Sea Lamprey 2
Green Sunfish 1
Lepomis Hybrid 1
Margined Madtom 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Hops
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydrobaenus Midge 44
Gammarus Amphipod 39
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 11
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 5
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 4
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Orthocladiinae Midge 3
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 2
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 1
Taeniopteryx Winter Stonefly 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 1
Procladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 1
Lepidostoma Little Brown Sedge Caddisfly 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.