MBSS Site Summary for: STMA-115-R-2003

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site STMA-115-R-2003-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site STMA-115-R-2003-2 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site STMA-115-R-2003-3 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site STMA-115-R-2003-4 (Opens in a new window)

Located on ST MARY'S R UT5 in the St. Mary's River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140103.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/12/2003 and again in the summer on 6/9/2003.

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 - 2.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 37 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 1 %
Agricultural Land Use 14 %
Forested Land Use 85 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 10/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 6/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 46 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 18 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 98 %
Embeddedness 80 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 80%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 15.2 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 4.76
Conductivity 41 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		-13 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.9 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
Eastern Mudminnow 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 24
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 21
Synurella Amphipod 17
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 16
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 7
Hydroporus Water Beetle 6
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 5
Apsectrotanypus Non-Biting Midges 4
Limnophyes Non-Biting Midge 2
Unniella Non-Biting Midge 2
Stegopterna Black Fly 2
Chrysops Deerfly 2
Lepidostoma Little Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Gomphidae Clubtail Dragonfly 1
Pseudolimnophila Crane Fly 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 1
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 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.