MBSS Site Summary for: ANAC-304-R-2008

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site ANAC-304-R-2008-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site ANAC-304-R-2008-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on NORTHWEST BRANCH in the Anacostia River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140205.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/24/2008 and again in the summer on 7/30/2008.

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 Good - 4.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.9 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 21,519 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 46.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 25.6 %
Forested Land Use 27 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 5/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 25 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.1
Conductivity 253 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		953.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.017 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 23 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 199
Spottail Shiner 125
Spotfin Shiner 95
Redbreast Sunfish 91
White Sucker 71
Satinfin Shiner 37
Sea Lamprey 33
Tessellated Darter 29
American Eel 28
Silverjaw Minnow 19
Eastern Mosquitofish 10
Pumpkinseed 8
Largemouth Bass 7
Smallmouth Bass 7
Banded Killifish 6
Yellow Bullhead 5
Bluegill 4
Cutlip Minnow 4
Swallowtail Shiner 4
Eastern Mudminnow 3
Fallfish 2
Green Sunfish 2
Creek Chub 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
Tree Of Heaven
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 29
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 12
Crangonyx Amphipod 11
Hydrobaenus Midge 8
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 8
Thienemannimyia Group Non-Biting Midges 6
Lumbriculidae Worm 6
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 5
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 4
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 3
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 3
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 2
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 2
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 2
Neoporus 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 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.