MBSS Site Summary for: WA-V-075-220-95


Located on BEAVER CR 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 6/6/1995.

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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.8 / 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 9,305 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 2 %
Agricultural Land Use 47.7 %
Forested Land Use 49.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 5/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 2/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 0/20 (Poor)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.06
Conductivity 167 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1126 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
Bluntnose Minnow 706
White Sucker 486
Fantail Darter 44
Creek Chub 41
Rock Bass 29
Blacknose Dace 24
Largemouth Bass 2
American Eel 1
Redbreast Sunfish 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Stictochironomus Non-Biting Midge 37
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 22
Chironomus Non-Biting Midges 9
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 5
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 5
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 4
Allocapnia Small Winter Stonefly 4
Stenelmis Beetle 4
Simulium Black Fly 2
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Ephemera Mayfly 2
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 2
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 2
Macronychus Riffle Beetle 1
Ancyronyx Spider Riffle Beetle 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living 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.