MBSS Site Summary for: PG-N-135-231-97


Located on CHARLES BR in the Western Branch watershed, 8-digit code: 02131103.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/7/1997 and again in the summer on 7/28/1997.

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 - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.6 / 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 9,014 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 11 %
Agricultural Land Use 35.1 %
Forested Land Use 53.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 75 %
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 24.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.81
Conductivity 210 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		288.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.3 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 16 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Rosyside Dace 70
Tessellated Darter 43
White Sucker 42
Blacknose Dace 38
Golden Shiner 21
Swallowtail Shiner 17
Fallfish 13
Bluegill 11
Eastern Mudminnow 11
Pumpkinseed 9
Creek Chub 8
Creek Chubsucker 8
American Eel 6
Largemouth Bass 5
Redfin Pickerel 3
Satinfin Shiner 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Cricket Frog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Stinkpot

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 26
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 22
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 14
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 6
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 4
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 3
Prosimulium Black Fly 3
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 3
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Crangonyx Amphipod 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Boyeria Spotted Darner Dragonfly 1
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 1
Stenochironomus European Non-Biting Midge 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella 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.