MBSS Site Summary for: PRMT-206-R-2002

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRMT-206-R-2002-414 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRMT-206-R-2002-415 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRMT-206-R-2002-416 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRMT-206-R-2002-594 (Opens in a new window)

Located on REEDER RUN in the Potomac River M tidal watershed, 8-digit code: 02140102.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/14/2002 and again in the summer on 7/23/2002.

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 - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.6 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 729 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 1 %
Agricultural Land Use 6 %
Forested Land Use 90 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 17/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 47 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 25.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 2.6 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (2.6 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.81
Conductivity 90 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		358.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.1 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Golden Shiner 490
Creek Chubsucker 105
Eastern Mudminnow 83
Least Brook Lamprey 80
Chain Pickerel 35
Pumpkinseed 22
Redbreast Sunfish 16
American Eel 4
Margined Madtom 3
Sea Lamprey 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Common Five-Lined Skink
Eastern Cricket Frog
Eastern Painted Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Northern Watersnake
Pickerel Frog
Red-Spotted Newt

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Leptophlebia Pronggilled Mayfly 49
Centroptilum Small Minnow Mayfly 38
Caecidotea Isopod 6
Hyalella Amphipod 5
Eurylophella Mayfly 3
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 3
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 2
Crangonyx Amphipod 2
Hesperocorixa 1
Sialis Alderfly 1
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Hydroporus Water Beetle 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.