MBSS Site Summary for: PRFR-205-X-2016

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-205-X-2016_midpoint downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-205-X-2016_midpoint upstream (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 4/20/2016 and again in the summer on 7/11/2016.

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 Fair - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,661 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 6.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 72.5 %
Forested Land Use 18.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 41 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 38 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 10 %
Embeddedness 30 %


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 14 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 109
Green Sunfish 79
Yellow Bullhead 48
Redbreast Sunfish 45
Common Shiner 43
Longnose Dace 19
Silverjaw Minnow 19
Creek Chub 12
Bluegill 11
Blacknose Dace 8
Central Stoneroller 8
Rosyside Dace 6
Banded Killifish 3
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 46
Naididae Aquatic Worm 24
Simulium Black Fly 16
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 6
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 6
Orthocladiinae Midge 5
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 4
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 4
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 2
Caenis Mayfly 2
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Synorthocladius 1
Thienemannimyia Group 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.