MBSS Site Summary for: ANAC-326-R-2004

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site ANAC-326-R-2004-26 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site ANAC-326-R-2004-27 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site ANAC-326-R-2004-28 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site ANAC-326-R-2004-29 (Opens in a new window)

Located on BEAVERDAM CR in the Anacostia River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140205.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/4/2004 and again in the summer on 7/7/2004.

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 - 2.1 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 9,571 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 79 %
Agricultural Land Use 4 %
Forested Land Use 16 %


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 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 50 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 25 meters 		9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 65 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 65%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 23.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.41
Conductivity 419 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1611 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4.6 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 22 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Spottail Shiner 167
Mummichog 107
Tessellated Darter 66
Banded Killifish 27
Green Sunfish 20
Bluegill 17
Eastern Mosquitofish 15
Redbreast Sunfish 13
Bluntnose Minnow 11
White Sucker 11
American Eel 7
Brown Bullhead 7
Satinfin Shiner 6
Pumpkinseed 4
Largemouth Bass 3
Eastern Mudminnow 2
American Shad 1
Channel Catfish 1
Creek Chubsucker 1
Golden Shiner 1
Smallmouth Bass 1
Yellow Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Tubificidae Aquatic Worm 20
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 16
Enallagma Narrow-Winged Damselfly 14
Limnodrilus Worm 13
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 11
Gammarus Amphipod 8
Lumbriculidae Worm 6
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 5
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 4
Zavrelimyia Non-Biting Midges 4
Calopteryx Damselfly 3
Stenochironomus European Non-Biting Midge 1
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 1
Gordiidae Horsehair Worm 1
Ischnura 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Chironomini Non-Biting Midge 1
Tipula Crane Fly 1
Tipulidae Cranefly 1
Dineutus Whirlygig Beetle 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.