MBSS Site Summary for: CH-S-089-205-95


Located on WARDS RUN in the Nanjemoy Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140110.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/8/1995 and again in the summer on 5/31/1995.

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 - 4.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 3,302 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 5.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 8.8 %
Forested Land Use 80 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 92 %
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:
Water temperature 17.3 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.86 mg/L
pH (lab) 6.27
Conductivity 46 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		75.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 4 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 13 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Rosyside Dace 84
Fallfish 57
Creek Chubsucker 38
Tessellated Darter 34
Redbreast Sunfish 23
White Sucker 23
Least Brook Lamprey 11
Pumpkinseed 9
American Eel 6
Bluegill 4
Margined Madtom 4
Chain Pickerel 2
Golden Shiner 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 25
Prosimulium Black Fly 14
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 8
Leptophlebia Pronggilled Mayfly 8
Allocapnia Small Winter Stonefly 6
Oemopteryx Stonefly 5
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 4
Haploperla Green Stonefly 3
Ceraclea Scaly-Winged Sedge Caddisfly 3
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 2
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 2
Caecidotea Isopod 2
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Eurylophella Mayfly 2
Simulium Black Fly 2
Nectopsyche 2
Stenelmis Beetle 2
Bezzia Biting Midge 1
Sialis Alderfly 1
Paraleptophlebia Blue Quill Mayfly 1
Neophylax Caddisfly 1
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Chrysops Deerfly 1
Stenacron Mayfly 1
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 1
Oecetis Long-Horned Caddisfly 1
Rhyacophila Free-Living Caddisfly 1
Eccoptura Yellow Stone Stonefly 1
Habrophlebia Prong-Gilled Mayfly 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.