MBSS Site Summary for: PRFR-108-R-2004


Located on POTOMAC R UT 19 in the Potomac River FR Cnty watershed, 8-digit code: 02140301.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/24/2004 and again in the summer on 6/21/2004.

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 - 1.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.8 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 134 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 2 %
Agricultural Land Use 81 %
Forested Land Use 15 %


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 = 35 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 49 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 78 %
Embeddedness 40 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.34
Conductivity 110 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		441.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.1 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 262
Creek Chub 7
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Red Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 64
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 15
Prosimulium Black Fly 11
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 9
Crangonyx Amphipod 7
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 3
Perlidae Common Stonefly 3
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Stegopterna Black Fly 2
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 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.