MBSS Site Summary for: PG-N-274-128-97


Located on HONEY BR in the Patuxent River upper watershed, 8-digit code: 02131104.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/24/1997 and again in the summer on 6/30/1997.

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 - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,127 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 3 %
Agricultural Land Use 68.4 %
Forested Land Use 28.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 25 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.3
Conductivity 218 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		257.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.4 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 12 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 198
Tessellated Darter 48
Eastern Mudminnow 22
American Eel 14
Rosyside Dace 13
Least Brook Lamprey 5
White Sucker 4
Bluegill 3
Green Sunfish 3
Fallfish 2
Pumpkinseed 1
Swallowtail Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Ring-Necked Snake
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
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
Amphipoda Scud 19
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 18
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 12
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 7
Gammarus Amphipod 5
Simulium Black Fly 3
Neophylax Caddisfly 3
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 3
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 1
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 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.