MBSS Site Summary for: PRUN-107-R-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRUN-107-R-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRUN-107-R-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Rileys Spring Branch in the Potomac River U N Branch watershed, 8-digit code: 02141005.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/23/2007 and again in the summer on 6/7/2007.

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 Poor - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 129 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 3.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 59.9 %
Forested Land Use 36.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 61 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 30 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 92 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 15.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.89
Conductivity 74 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		183.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.3298 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 14
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Dusky Salamander
Northern Red Salamander
Red-Spotted Newt

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No Exotic Plants Observed
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 41
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 9
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 7
Stenelmis Beetle 6
Chrysops Deerfly 6
Trissopelopia Non-Biting Midges 5
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 5
Paraphaenocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Tipula Crane Fly 3
Leptophlebiidae Pronggilled Mayfly 3
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 2
Hyalella Amphipod 2
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 1
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 1
Parachaetocladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 1
Clioperla Green-Winged Stonefly 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 1
Hydrobius Water Scavenger Beetle 1
Platycentropus 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.