MBSS Site Summary for: WA-V-063-201-95


Located on LITTLE ANTIETAM CR UT1 in the Antietam Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140502.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/7/1995 and again in the summer on 6/5/1995.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 2.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,693 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 %
Agricultural Land Use 55.7 %
Forested Land Use 44 %


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 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 16.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.7 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.76
Conductivity 154 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1976 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 8 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 489
Fantail Darter 110
Creek Chub 68
White Sucker 24
Blue Ridge Sculpin 14
Longnose Dace 10
Lepomis Hybrid 9
Green Sunfish 2
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
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 55
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 25
Lirceus Isopod 19
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 7
Stenelmis Beetle 5
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Gammarus Amphipod 3
Chimarra Fingernet Caddisfly 3
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 2
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Potthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Glossosoma Little Black Caddisfly 1
Lepidostoma Little Brown Sedge Caddisfly 1
Pagastia 1
Neophylax 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.