MBSS Site Summary for: ROCK-101-R-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site ROCK-101-R-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site ROCK-101-R-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Rock Creek in the Rock Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140206.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/2/2009 and again in the summer on 7/22/2009.

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 - 1.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 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 131 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 70.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 10.4 %
Forested Land Use 18.5 %


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 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 66 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 20 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.05
Conductivity 654 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1884.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.2456 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 106
Creek Chub 5
Green Sunfish 5
Pumpkinseed 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Snapping Turtle

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Knotweed
Japanese Stiltgrass
Kudzu
Multiflora Rose
Shrub Honeysuckle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 45
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 22
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 17
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 7
Orthocladiinae Midge 4
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Limonia 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Antocha Crane Fly 1
Paratanytarsus 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.