MBSS Site Summary for: SEVE-112-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site SEVE-112-R-2003-0834 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site SEVE-112-R-2003-0835 (Opens in a new window)

Located on SEVERN RUN UT1 in the Severn River watershed, 8-digit code: 02131002.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/11/2003 and again in the summer on 6/10/2003.

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 - 1.0 / 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 271 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 31 %
Agricultural Land Use 13 %
Forested Land Use 55 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 6/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 48 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 27 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.1 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 5.21
Conductivity 169 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		18.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 9 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
No Fish Observed 0
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 29
Synurella Amphipod 22
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 20
Zalutschia Non-Biting Midge 9
Nemouridae Nemourid Stonefly 8
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 4
Caecidotea Isopod 4
Hydrobaenus Midge 3
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 2
Bezzia Biting Midge 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 1
Chauliodes 1
Agabus Predatory Aquatic Beetle 1
Hydroporus Water Beetle 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.