MBSS Site Summary for: PAXM-110-X-2006


Located on Swan Point Creek in the Patuxent River middle watershed, 8-digit code: 02131102.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/22/2006 and again in the summer on 7/25/2006.

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 Poor - 2.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.6 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 427 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 3 %
Agricultural Land Use 47 %
Forested Land Use 50 %


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 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 72 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 3 meters 		4/20 (Poor)
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 20.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.88
Conductivity 147 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		202.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.8493 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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 22
Creek Chubsucker 7
Eastern Mudminnow 3
Green Sunfish 3
Golden Shiner 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Common Five-Lined Skink
Eastern Box Turtle
Gray Treefrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 39
Musculium Fingernail Clam 16
Siphlonurus Gray Drake Mayfly 15
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 10
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 6
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 3
Bezzia Biting Midge 2
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 1
Ptilostomis Giant Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Stagnicola Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Hydroporus Water Beetle 1
Corixidae Water Boatman 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 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.