MBSS Site Summary for: WA-V-006-222-95


Located on LITTLE ANTIETAM CR in the Antietam Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140502.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/2/1995 and again in the summer on 7/11/1995.

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 - 4.0 / 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 3,489 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 0.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 51.2 %
Forested Land Use 47.7 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 3/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 8/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 40 %
Embeddedness 25 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 24 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.3 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.61
Conductivity 238 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1072 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2 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 9 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 531
Creek Chub 447
Bluntnose Minnow 242
White Sucker 126
Fantail Darter 106
Longnose Dace 24
Rock Bass 22
Bluegill 8
Cutlip Minnow 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 18
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 14
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 12
Stenelmis Beetle 12
Simulium Black Fly 8
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 7
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 6
Hexatoma Crane Fly 5
Antocha Crane Fly 4
Allocapnia Small Winter Stonefly 3
Neophylax Caddisfly 3
Psephenus Water Penny 3
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 2
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 2
Serratella Mayfly 2
Corynoneura Non-Biting Midges 1
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 1
Muscidae Fly 1
Atherix 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Chelifera Aquatic Dance Fly 1
Psychomyia Trumpet-Net Caddisfly 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.