MBSS Site Summary for: SBPA-204-X-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site SBPA-204-X-2017-MidpointFacingDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site SBPA-204-X-2017-MidpointFacingUpstream (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 3/8/2017 and again in the summer on 6/8/2017.

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 Good - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 7,479 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 16.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 50.7 %
Forested Land Use 27.4 %


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 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 50 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 25 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 40 %
Embeddedness 30 %


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 25 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Cutlip Minnow 113
Redbreast Sunfish 112
Banded Killifish 101
American Eel 88
Cyprinella Sp. 82
Blue Ridge Sculpin 80
Common Shiner 74
Bluegill 71
Swallowtail Shiner 67
Rosyside Dace 41
Creek Chub 37
White Sucker 30
Blacknose Dace 27
Central Stoneroller 13
Green Sunfish 13
Tessellated Darter 11
Longnose Dace 6
Yellow Bullhead 5
Northern Hogsucker 3
Black Crappie 1
Bluntnose Minnow 1
Fathead Minnow 1
Golden Shiner 1
Lepomis Hybrid 1
Pumpkinseed 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Eastern Gartersnake
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Pickerel Frog
Wood Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
Privet
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
PARATANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 32
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 27
NANOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 20
PROSTOIA Spring Stonefly 6
DIAMESINAE Non-Biting Midges 6
ORTHOCLADIINAE Midge 3
DIAMESA Bloodworm 3
TVETENIA Non-Biting Midges 3
RHEOTANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 3
PHYSA Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
SIMULIUM Black Fly 2
MACCAFFERTIUM March Brown And Cahill Mayfly 2
HYDROPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
STENOCHIRONOMUS European Non-Biting Midge 1
TANYTARSINI Non-Biting Midges 1
PARAMETRIOCNEMUS Non-Biting Midges 1
PISIDIIDAE Pill Clam 1
POLYCENTROPUS Tube Maker Caddisfly 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.