MBSS Site Summary for: WA-V-062-212-95


Located on BEAVER CR in the Antietam Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140502.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/6/1995 and again in the summer on 7/12/1995.

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 - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 13,317 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 2.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 48.8 %
Forested Land Use 48.5 %


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 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		19/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 0/20 (Poor)
Shading 50 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 16 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.99
Conductivity 392 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		3301 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 12 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
White Sucker 373
Blacknose Dace 163
Fantail Darter 56
Spotfin Shiner 24
Brown Trout 7
Common Shiner 7
Bluntnose Minnow 5
Common Carp 4
Cutlip Minnow 4
Bluegill 1
Rainbow Trout 1
Rock Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 21
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 15
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 11
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 8
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 7
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 6
Simulium Black Fly 5
Orthocladiinae Midge 4
Lirceus Isopod 3
Heterotrissocladius European Non-Biting Midge 2
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Crangonyx Amphipod 2
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 2
Corixidae Water Boatman 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Procladius Non-Biting Midge 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Prodiamesa 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Hexatoma Crane Fly 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.