MBSS Site Summary for: UMON-203-A-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UMON-203-A-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UMON-203-A-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Hunting Creek in the Upper Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140303.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/14/2009 and again in the summer on 8/6/2009.

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 - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 4,613 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 24.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 6.1 %
Forested Land Use 69.6 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 16/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 16/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 54 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 52 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 40 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 10 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.57
Conductivity 461 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		697.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.9325 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 20 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 418
Blacknose Dace 175
Longnose Dace 67
Potomac Sculpin 34
Fallfish 18
Bluegill 14
Spotfin Shiner 8
Fantail Darter 6
Redbreast Sunfish 6
Brown Trout 5
Golden Shiner 5
Green Sunfish 5
Creek Chubsucker 3
Yellow Bullhead 3
Greenside Darter 2
Longear Sunfish 2
White Sucker 2
American Eel 1
Bluntnose Minnow 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Red Salamander
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Canada Thistle
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Knotweed
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Norway Maple
Shrub Honeysuckle
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 27
Chaetocladius Non-Biting Midges 17
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 10
Crangonyx Amphipod 8
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 6
Eurylophella Mayfly 5
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 5
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 5
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 4
Orthocladiinae Midge 2
Naididae Aquatic Worm 2
Epeorus Mayfly 2
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Oulimnius Riffle Beetle 1
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 1
Drunella Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
Isotomurus Elongate-Bodied Springtail 1
Prostoma Freshwater Nemertean (Ribbon Worm) 1
Caecidotea Isopod 1
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 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.