MBSS Site Summary for: UMON-119-S-2004


Located on BUZZARD BR in the Upper Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140303.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/24/2004 and again in the summer on 7/6/2004.

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 Fair - 3.5 / 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 1,122 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 3.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 0.3 %
Forested Land Use 96.4 %


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 17/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 34 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 71 meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 20 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.39
Conductivity 70 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		248.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.9 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 2 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 37
Brown Trout 5
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Dusky Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 25
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 12
Prosimulium Black Fly 9
Hexatoma Crane Fly 7
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 6
Sweltsa Stonefly 4
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 3
Leuctra  Rolled-Winged Stonefly 3
Diamesinae Non-Biting Midges 2
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Chloroperlidae Green Stonefly 2
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 2
Oemopteryx Stonefly 1
Dicranota Hairy-Eyed Cranefly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Acroneuria Golden Stoneflies 1
Pseudorthocladius Non-Biting Midges 1
Stempellinella Non-Biting Midges 1
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella 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.