MBSS Site Summary for: GWPY-301-N-2004


Located on CABIN JOHN CR in the Cabin John Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140207.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/9/2004 and again in the summer on 8/24/2004.

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 Fair - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 15,925 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 59 %
Agricultural Land Use 12 %
Forested Land Use 28 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 24 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 40 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.23
Conductivity 412 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1357 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.5 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
American Eel 38
Redbreast Sunfish 31
Tessellated Darter 21
Longnose Dace 17
Spotfin Shiner 6
Green Sunfish 4
Channel Catfish 3
Greenside Darter 2
Smallmouth Bass 2
Fantail Darter 1
Golden Redhorse 1
Sea Lamprey 1
Yellow Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Hydrobaenus Midge 5
Calopteryx Damselfly 2
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 2
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Diamesa Bloodworm 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Cricotopus 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.