MBSS Site Summary for: PAXM-217-X-2006


Located on Galloway Creek in the Patuxent River middle watershed, 8-digit code: 02131102.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/20/2006 and again in the summer on 7/5/2006.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,217 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 12 %
Agricultural Land Use 27 %
Forested Land Use 61 %


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 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 69 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 21 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 97 %
Embeddedness 95 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 95%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 24.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.18
Conductivity 264 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		550.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.7074 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 43
Tessellated Darter 34
Blacknose Dace 13
Least Brook Lamprey 11
American Eel 10
Green Sunfish 7
Eastern Mosquitofish 3
Bluegill 1
Brown Bullhead 1
Swallowtail Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 48
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 7
Hydrobaenus Midge 6
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 6
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 5
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 4
Stenelmis Beetle 4
Orthocladiinae Midge 3
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Macronychus Riffle Beetle 3
Gomphidae Clubtail Dragonfly 2
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Gammarus Amphipod 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 1
Paratendipes European Non-Biting Midge 1
Ptilostomis Giant Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Haploperla Green Stonefly 1
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 1
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 1
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 1
Boyeria Spotted Darner Dragonfly 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.