MBSS Site Summary for: PG-N-213-113-97


Located on BLACK 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 6/24/1997.

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 Fair - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.7 / 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 1,054 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 1.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 63.7 %
Forested Land Use 33.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 2/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 2/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 95 %
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 21.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.72
Conductivity 226 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		359 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.1 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 13
Rosyside Dace 10
Tessellated Darter 7
Eastern Mudminnow 4
Swallowtail Shiner 3
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

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 32
Gammarus Amphipod 26
Paracapnia Small Winter Stonefly 9
Stegopterna Black Fly 8
Neophylax Caddisfly 7
Simulium Black Fly 5
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 3
Stygobromus Amphipod 2
Stenelmis Beetle 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 1
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 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.