MBSS Site Summary for: PG-N-041-305-97


Located on SOUTHWEST BR in the Western Branch watershed, 8-digit code: 02131103.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/4/1997 and again in the summer on 9/2/1997.

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 Poor - 1.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 6,978 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 42.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 25.7 %
Forested Land Use 31.1 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 10/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 90 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 90%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.25
Conductivity 449 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		978.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.7 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 15 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Swallowtail Shiner 139
Rosyside Dace 110
Fallfish 56
Satinfin Shiner 35
Bluegill 34
Blacknose Dace 24
Cutlip Minnow 19
Tessellated Darter 18
White Sucker 10
Redbreast Sunfish 9
Pumpkinseed 7
American Eel 6
Yellow Bullhead 6
Golden Shiner 4
Creek Chubsucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 32
Naididae Aquatic Worm 13
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 12
Prostoma Freshwater Nemertean (Ribbon Worm) 4
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Collembola Springtail 2
Limnodrilus Worm 1
Macromia 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Odonata Dragonfly, Damselfly 1
Stenochironomus European Non-Biting Midge 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.