MBSS Site Summary for: PAXL-119-R-2004

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PAXL-119-R-2004-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PAXL-119-R-2004-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on PATUXENT R UT 6 in the Patuxent River lower watershed, 8-digit code: 02131101.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/9/2004 and again in the summer on 7/13/2004.

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 689 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 6 %
Agricultural Land Use 43 %
Forested Land Use 51 %


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 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 70 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 36 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 90 %
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:
Water temperature 22.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.97
Conductivity 168 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		678.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.6 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 12 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Golden Shiner 32
Eastern Mudminnow 25
Banded Killifish 18
Blacknose Dace 16
Pumpkinseed 13
Bluegill 11
Tessellated Darter 8
Mummichog 4
American Eel 2
Creek Chubsucker 2
Yellow Bullhead 2
Eastern Mosquitofish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Painted Turtle
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Red-Bellied Turtle
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 32
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 30
Stegopterna Black Fly 15
Caecidotea Isopod 14
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 14
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 6
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 1
Leptophlebia Pronggilled Mayfly 1
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 1
Macronychus Riffle Beetle 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 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.