MBSS Site Summary for: WA-V-174-236-95


Located on MARSH RUN in the Antietam Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140502.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/8/1995 and again in the summer on 7/14/1995.

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 - 1.5 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 10,643 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 0.1 %
Agricultural Land Use 92.5 %
Forested Land Use 6.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 8/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 1/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 98 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.95
Conductivity 530 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		5716 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 675
White Sucker 40
Fathead Minnow 15
Creek Chub 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
Orconectes

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Gammarus Amphipod 37
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 30
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 13
Antocha Crane Fly 13
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 7
Microtendipes Non-Biting Midges 4
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 4
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 3
Lirceus Isopod 2
Simulium Black 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.