MBSS Site Summary for: PAXL-114-R-2004

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PAXL-114-R-2004-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PAXL-114-R-2004-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on HALL CR UT in the Patuxent River lower watershed, 8-digit code: 02131101.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/3/2004 and again in the summer on 6/17/2004.

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 Poor - 2.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 651 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 22 %
Agricultural Land Use 37 %
Forested Land Use 40 %


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 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 47 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 55 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 80 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 80%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.79
Conductivity 237 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		219 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.1 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 128
Least Brook Lamprey 68
Blacknose Dace 24
Redfin Pickerel 2
American Eel 1
Tessellated Darter 1
Yellow Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
Eastern Painted Turtle
Gray Treefrog
Northern Dusky Salamander
Northern Green Frog
Northern Red Salamander
Northern Spring Peeper
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Northern Watersnake
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 43
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 33
Hyalella Amphipod 17
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 9
Gammarus Amphipod 7
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 6
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 5
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 4
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 4
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 3
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Calopteryx Damselfly 3
Ptilostomis Giant Casemaker Caddisfly 2
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Synurella Amphipod 2
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 2
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Limnodrilus Worm 2
Hydroporus Water Beetle 2
Dineutus Whirlygig Beetle 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Capniidae Small Winter Stonefly 1
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Parachaetocladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning 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.