MBSS Site Summary for: PRFR-201-X-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-201-X-2017-MidpointDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-201-X-2017-MidpointUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on Little Catoctin Creek in the Potomac River FR Cnty watershed, 8-digit code: 02140301.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/27/2017 and again in the summer on 7/25/2017.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.8 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 3,074 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 7.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 69.1 %
Forested Land Use 21.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 66 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 16 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 50 %


Stream Water Quality:
No water quality measurements available for this site.

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 15 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluegill 139
Blacknose Dace 107
Longnose Dace 83
Nocomis Sp. 46
Creek Chub 31
Redbreast Sunfish 28
Bluntnose Minnow 26
Common Shiner 22
Yellow Bullhead 20
Central Stoneroller 18
Silverjaw Minnow 16
Green Sunfish 14
White Sucker 11
Fantail Darter 10
Largemouth Bass 10
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Hops
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
RHEOTANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 39
RHEOCRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 34
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 21
CHIMARRA Fingernet Caddisfly 16
POLYPEDILUM Non-Biting Midges 9
TANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 4
ORTHOCLADIINAE Midge 4
CHEUMATOPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
SIMULIUM Black Fly 4
NAIDIDAE Aquatic Worm 2
PROSIMULIUM Black Fly 2
PARAMETRIOCNEMUS Non-Biting Midges 1
FERRISSIA Small Air-Breathing Freshwater Limpets 1
BAETIDAE Small Minnow Mayfly 1
HEMERODROMIA Tiny Fly 1
STENELMIS Beetle 1
PARATENDIPES European Non-Biting Midge 1
CHIRONOMINAE Non-Biting Midge 1
CORYNONEURA Non-Biting Midges 1
NANOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 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.