MBSS Site Summary for: SBPA-201-X-2015

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site SBPA-201-X-2015_Midpoint-at-rebar-looking-downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site SBPA-201-X-2015_Midpoint-at-rebar-looking-upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on PINEY RUN in the S Branch Patapsco watershed, 8-digit code: 02130908.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/18/2015 and again in the summer on 6/25/2015.

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 - 2.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 7,895 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 18.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 50.6 %
Forested Land Use 26.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 18/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 9 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 75 meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 1 %
Embeddedness 33 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


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 19 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Longnose Dace 36
Satinfin Shiner 29
Common Shiner 14
Blue Ridge Sculpin 9
American Eel 8
Redbreast Sunfish 7
Blacknose Dace 5
Cutlip Minnow 5
Margined Madtom 5
Swallowtail Shiner 5
Yellow Bullhead 5
Banded Killifish 4
Tessellated Darter 3
Northern Hogsucker 2
White Sucker 2
Central Stoneroller 1
Creek Chub 1
Fathead Minnow 1
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Privet
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 37
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 18
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 13
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 11
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 10
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 8
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 6
Orthocladiinae Midge 5
Hydrobaenus Midge 4
Antocha Crane Fly 4
Simulium Black Fly 3
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 3
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Microcylloepus Riffle Beetle 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 1
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Psectrocladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Parakiefferiella European Non-Biting Midge 1
Glossosoma Little Black Caddisfly 1
Leucotrichia 1
Synorthocladius 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Stygobromus Amphipod 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 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.