MBSS Site Summary for: PG-N-216-135-97


Located on SOUTHWEST BR UT1 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 6/10/1997.

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 - 1.0 / 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 1,076 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 26 %
Agricultural Land Use 52.7 %
Forested Land Use 19.5 %


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 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 92 %
Embeddedness 35 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.98
Conductivity 552 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		851.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.1 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 2 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 74
Swallowtail Shiner 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle
Pickerel Frog
Stinkpot

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 45
Limnodrilus Worm 25
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 7
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 4
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 4
Caecidotea Isopod 4
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 2
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Eurylophella Mayfly 1
Xylotopus Midge 1
Lype Net Tube Caddisfly 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Dineutus Whirlygig Beetle 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 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.