MBSS Site Summary for: PRFR-206-X-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-206-X-2017-MidpointDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRFR-206-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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 1,656 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 6.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 72.6 %
Forested Land Use 19.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 38 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 41 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 20 %
Embeddedness 25 %


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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 192
Common Shiner 130
Nocomis Sp. 61
Central Stoneroller 28
Green Sunfish 26
Creek Chub 21
Redbreast Sunfish 17
Longnose Dace 15
Yellow Bullhead 15
Silverjaw Minnow 14
Bluegill 8
Largemouth Bass 8
Blacknose Dace 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 63
NAIDIDAE Aquatic Worm 31
GIRARDIA Freshwater Flatworm 19
TUBIFICIDAE Aquatic Worm 10
DIAMESA Bloodworm 7
TANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 4
THIENEMANNIMYIA GROUP Non-Biting Midges 3
POLYPEDILUM Non-Biting Midges 2
ORTHOCLADIINAE Midge 2
DIAMESINAE Non-Biting Midges 2
DICROTENDIPES Non-Biting Midges 1
PROSIMULIUM Black Fly 1
MENETUS Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
PHYSA Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 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.