MBSS Site Summary for: PG-N-152-124-97


Located on SOUTHWEST BR 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 6/25/1997.

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 Poor - 2.7 / 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 2,814 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 15.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 22.4 %
Forested Land Use 61.6 %


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 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 70 %
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 20.4 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7
Conductivity 180 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		409.1 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 8 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 78
Eastern Mudminnow 25
Rosyside Dace 11
Creek Chub 8
Tessellated Darter 7
American Eel 4
Fallfish 3
White Sucker 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 47
Crangonyx Amphipod 10
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 10
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 3
Neophylax Caddisfly 3
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 2
Prosimulium Black Fly 2
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 2
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 2
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 2
Sweltsa Stonefly 1
Limnodrilus Worm 1
Xylotopus Midge 1
Caenis Mayfly 1
Nigronia Megaloptera (Dark Fishfly) 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.