MBSS Site Summary for: PRFR-121-R-2016

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-121-R-2016-MidpointDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-121-R-2016-MidpointUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on Ut to Tuscarora Creek in the Potomac River FR Cnty watershed, 8-digit code: 02140301.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/8/2016 and again in the summer on 6/27/2016.

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 - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 440 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 12.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 40.6 %
Forested Land Use 11.8 %


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 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 50 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 25 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 55 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.45
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		2083.5 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.8996 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 5 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 216
Creek Chub 51
River Chub 33
Rosyside Dace 10
Bluntnose Minnow 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Maiden Grass
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Shrub Honeysuckle
Tree Of Heaven
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 25
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 14
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 8
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 7
Maccaffertium March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 7
Lirceus Isopod 4
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 4
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 4
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 3
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 3
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 2
Prosimulium Black Fly 2
Calopteryx Damselfly 2
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 2
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Allocapnia Small Winter Stonefly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Psephenus Water Penny 1
Hydrophilidae Water Scavenger Beetle 1
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 1
Pycnopsyche Great Autumn Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Clioperla Green-Winged Stonefly 1
Hagenius Clubtail Dragonfly 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
Anchytarsus Beetle 1
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 1
Diphetor Mayfly 1
Hydrobaenus Midge 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.