MBSS Site Summary for: WEBR-201-R-2021

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site WEBR-201-R-2021_Midpoint-facing-down-stream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site WEBR-201-R-2021_Midpoint-facing-upstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on EAST BRANCH COLLINGTON BRANCH in the Western Branch watershed, 8-digit code: 2131103.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/9/2021 and again in the summer on 6/28/2021.

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 Good - 4.0 / 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 905 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 70.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 3.9 %
Forested Land Use 19 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 7/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 65 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 10 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 60 %
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:
pH (lab) 7.32
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		728.9854 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.0676 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
American Eel 41
Green Sunfish 23
Tessellated Darter 11
Largemouth Bass 9
Eastern Mosquitofish 5
Blacknose Dace 4
Eastern Mudminnow 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern Cricket Frog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Wintercreeper
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 53
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 33
Naididae Aquatic Worm 12
Glyptotendipes 11
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 9
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 4
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 3
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 3
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 2
Tipula Crane 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.