MBSS Site Summary for: CABJ-123-R-2023

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site CABJ-123-R-2023_Midpoint_facing_downstream_doubles_as_culvert_photo (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site CABJ-123-R-2023_Midpoint_facing_upstream_ (Opens in a new window)

Located on BOGLEY BRANCH in the Cabin John Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140207.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/9/2023 and again in the summer on 6/27/2023.

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 - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area No data available A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 89.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 1 %
Forested Land Use 9.3 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 9/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 40 meters 		10/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 35 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 70 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 70%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 18.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.2 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.2 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.67
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		923 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 0.498 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 3 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 158
Creek Chub 102
Goldfish 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
Northern Green Frog

Crayfish:
None observed

Exotic Plants:
Garlic Mustard
Japanese Barberry
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
THIENEMANNIMYIA GROUP Non-Biting Midges 34
MICROPSECTRA Non-Biting Midges 24
DICROTENDIPES Non-Biting Midges 12
TANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 8
PARATANYTARSUS Non-Biting Midges 7
PARAMETRIOCNEMUS Non-Biting Midges 4
ABLABESMYIA Non-Biting Midge 4
NAIDIDAE Aquatic Worm 4
PHAENOPSECTRA Non-Biting Midges 3
GYRAULUS White Ramshorn Freshwater Snail 1
SIMULIUM Black Fly 1
GIRARDIA Freshwater Flatworm 1
GLYPTOTENDIPES 1
ISCHNURA 1
CHAETOCLADIUS Non-Biting Midges 1
ORTHOCLADIUS 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.