MBSS Site Summary for: WA-V-157-111-95


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 - 2.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,976 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 0.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 62.5 %
Forested Land Use 37.1 %


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 3/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 16/20 (Optimal)
Shading 10 %
Embeddedness 50 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 24 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 12 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.62
Conductivity 349 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		3618 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 6 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Creek Chub 117
Blacknose Dace 66
Bluntnose Minnow 46
White Sucker 33
Blue Ridge Sculpin 6
Longnose Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Gartersnake
Eastern Snapping Turtle
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
Cladotanytarsus Non-Biting Midge 34
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 21
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 14
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 14
Caecidotea Isopod 9
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 8
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 7
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 7
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 3
Diamesinae Non-Biting Midges 3
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 2
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Agabus Predatory Aquatic Beetle 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 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.