MBSS Site Summary for: STMA-101-R-2000

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site STMA-101-R-2000-01 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site STMA-101-R-2000-02 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site STMA-101-R-2000-03 (Opens in a new window)

Located on ST MARYS RIVER UT1 in the St. Mary's River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140103.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/2/2000 and again in the summer on 6/5/2000.

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 Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 131 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 41.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 16.8 %
Forested Land Use 41.7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 3/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 2/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 1/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 60 meters 		3/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 98 %
Embeddedness 98 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 98%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 3 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (3 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.66
Conductivity 130 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		626 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 7.6 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:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 27
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 16
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 16
Crangonyx Amphipod 6
Naididae Aquatic Worm 4
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 3
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Hydroporus Water Beetle 2
Limnephilidae Northern Casemaker Caddisfly 1
Collembola Springtail 1
Dolichopodidae Long-Legged Fly 1
Dolophilodes Medium Evening Sedge Caddisfly 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Gordiidae Horsehair Worm 1
Ceratopogon Biting Midge 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.