MBSS Site Summary for: SBPA-207-X-2016

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site SBPA-207-X-2016_midpoint looking downstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site SBPA-207-X-2016_midpoint looking upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT Piney Run in the S Branch Patapsco watershed, 8-digit code: 02130908.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/3/2016 and again in the summer on 6/1/2016.

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 - 2.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,415 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 68 %
Agricultural Land Use 14.4 %
Forested Land Use 17 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 31 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 44 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 3 %
Embeddedness 70 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 70%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


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
Blacknose Dace 215
Blue Ridge Sculpin 121
Cutlip Minnow 111
Rosyside Dace 49
Longnose Dace 46
Tessellated Darter 33
Redbreast Sunfish 30
Creek Chub 28
Central Stoneroller 25
American Eel 14
Banded Killifish 12
White Sucker 10
Common Shiner 8
Margined Madtom 7
Swallowtail Shiner 7
Fathead Minnow 4
Yellow Bullhead 3
Northern Hogsucker 2
Spottail Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Cope's Gray Treefrog
Eastern Ratsnake
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Autumn Olive
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Hops
Lesser Celandine (Fig Buttercup)
Mimosa
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Shrub Honeysuckle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 22
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 14
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 10
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 9
Stenelmis Beetle 7
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 7
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 6
Orthocladiinae Midge 6
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 5
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 4
Simulium Black Fly 4
Tanytarsini Non-Biting Midges 2
Polycentropus Tube Maker Caddisfly 2
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 2
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
Leucotrichia 1
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 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.