MBSS Site Summary for: UMON-402-R-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site UMON-402-R-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site UMON-402-R-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Marsh Creek in the Upper Monocacy River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140303.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/11/2007 and again in the summer on 6/28/2007.

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 - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 50,645 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 5.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 58.7 %
Forested Land Use 33.7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 45 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 37 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 25.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.5 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.5 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 9.5
Conductivity 297 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		924.8 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.1428 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
Central Stoneroller 923
Bluntnose Minnow 561
Greenside Darter 389
Longnose Dace 134
Smallmouth Bass 79
White Sucker 55
Blacknose Dace 39
Redbreast Sunfish 39
Banded Killifish 31
Common Shiner 27
Spotfin Shiner 23
Fantail Darter 14
Yellow Bullhead 14
Spottail Shiner 11
Tessellated Darter 10
Creek Chub 3
Green Sunfish 3
Largemouth Bass 3
Rock Bass 1
Rosyface Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
Eastern Painted Turtle
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Fowler's Toad
Gray Treefrog
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
Orconectes rusticus
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Stiltgrass
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hyalella Amphipod 30
Caenis Mayfly 14
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 12
Crangonyx Amphipod 7
Stenelmis Beetle 5
Simulium Black Fly 5
Orthocladiinae Midge 5
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 4
Perlidae Common Stonefly 3
Hydrobaenus Midge 3
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 3
Hydroporus Water Beetle 2
Capniidae Small Winter Stonefly 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 2
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 2
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 1
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Leucrocuta Mayfly 1
Serratella Mayfly 1
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 1
Diamesa Bloodworm 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
Psephenus Water Penny 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.