MBSS Site Summary for: WEBR-104-R-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site WEBR-104-R-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site WEBR-104-R-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on UT TO CHARLES BRANCH in the Western Branch watershed, 8-digit code: 02131103.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/4/2008 and again in the summer on 7/10/2008.

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 Poor - 1.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.6 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 613 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 11.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 42.7 %
Forested Land Use 45.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 9/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 33 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 55 meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 95 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 21.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.88
Conductivity 175 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		299 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.3654 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
Blacknose Dace 23
Creek Chub 9
Bluegill 2
American Eel 1
Green Sunfish 1
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes

Exotic Plants:
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Diplocladius Non-Biting Midges 54
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 23
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 4
Limnodrilus Worm 3
Lumbriculidae Worm 3
Ptilostomis Giant Casemaker Caddisfly 2
Synurella Amphipod 2
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 2
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Dugesiidae Flatworm 1
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 1
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Pisidiidae Pill Clam 1
Orthocladiinae Midge 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.