MBSS Site Summary for: CABJ-102-R-2017

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CABJ-102-R-2017-MidpointLookingDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CABJ-102-R-2017-MidpointLookingUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on Cabin John Creek in the Cabin John Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140207.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/18/2017 and again in the summer on 9/5/2017.

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 - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 587 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 92 %
Agricultural Land Use 0 %
Forested Land Use 7.6 %


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 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 63 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 13 meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 55 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 55%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.26
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1185.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.1497 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 14 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 842
Creek Chub 231
Central Stoneroller 104
Silverjaw Minnow 26
White Sucker 19
Longnose Dace 11
Fathead Minnow 10
Rosyside Dace 5
Goldfish 4
Tessellated Darter 2
Bluegill 1
Common Shiner 1
Eastern Mosquitofish 1
Fantail Darter 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
Autumn Olive
Japanese Hops
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Porcelainberry
Shrub Honeysuckle
Vinca Vine
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
TVETENIA Non-Biting Midges 38
PARAMETRIOCNEMUS Non-Biting Midges 29
CRICOTOPUS Non-Biting Midges 11
NAIDIDAE Aquatic Worm 10
ARGIA Narrow-Winged Damselfly 8
ORTHOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 6
ORTHOCLADIINAE Midge 4
CHEUMATOPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
HYDROPSYCHE Net-Spinning Caddisfly 3
STENELMIS Beetle 3
ZAVRELIMYIA Non-Biting Midges 3
SIMULIUM Black Fly 2
BAETIS Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 2
NILOTANYPUS 2
POLYPEDILUM Non-Biting Midges 2
THIENEMANNIELLA Non-Biting Midges 2
THIENEMANNIMYIA GROUP Non-Biting Midges 2
TIPULA Crane Fly 1
HYDROPTILA Microcaddisfly 1
CORYNONEURA 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.