MBSS Site Summary for: CH-S-177-129-95


Located on BEAVERDAM CR in the Nanjemoy Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140110.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/13/1995 and again in the summer on 8/16/1995.

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 Fair - 3.7 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.3 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 886 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 3 %
Agricultural Land Use 7.2 %
Forested Land Use 89.7 %


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 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 4/20 (Poor)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 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 26 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 1.2 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (1.2 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 5.3
Conductivity 52 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		19.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 8 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 4 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mudminnow 105
Chain Pickerel 5
Creek Chubsucker 4
Golden Shiner 3
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Common Five-Lined Skink
Eastern Cricket Frog
Northern Green Frog
Pickerel Frog
Red-Spotted Newt

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Stegopterna Black Fly 37
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 14
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 9
Leptophlebia Pronggilled Mayfly 9
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 5
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 5
Apsectrotanypus Non-Biting Midges 5
Crangonyx Amphipod 4
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 4
Limnophyes Non-Biting Midge 4
Hydrobaenus Midge 4
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Phaenopsectra Non-Biting Midges 2
Tvetenia Non-Biting Midges 1
Helius 1
Sialis Alderfly 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.