MBSS Site Summary for: PRFR-205-X-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-205-X-2017-MidpointDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-205-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 8/10/2017.

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 Fair - 3.3 / 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 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 19.7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 10/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 49 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 35 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 25 %
Embeddedness 20 %


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
Bluntnose Minnow 86
Common Shiner 77
Nocomis Sp. 75
Green Sunfish 44
Redbreast Sunfish 41
Central Stoneroller 34
Silverjaw Minnow 27
Yellow Bullhead 27
Creek Chub 21
Blacknose Dace 16
Longnose Dace 14
Largemouth Bass 12
Bluegill 7
White Sucker 3
Banded Killifish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 25
NAIDIDAE Aquatic Worm 21
GIRARDIA Freshwater Flatworm 15
DIAMESA Bloodworm 12
ORTHOCLADIINAE Midge 4
DIAMESINAE Non-Biting Midges 4
TANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 4
THIENEMANNIMYIA GROUP Non-Biting Midges 4
POLYPEDILUM Non-Biting Midges 3
DICROTENDIPES Non-Biting Midges 3
CRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 3
PHYSA Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 3
CRANGONYX Amphipod 2
TUBIFICIDAE Aquatic Worm 1
PROSIMULIUM Black Fly 1
ERPOBDELLIDAE Leech 1
PARATANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 1
RHEOTANYTARSUS 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.