MBSS Site Summary for: MATT-101-A-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site MATT-101-A-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site MATT-101-A-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Old Womans Creek in the Mattawoman Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140111.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/31/2009 and again in the summer on 7/21/2009.

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 - 4.0 / 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 3,614 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 12.3 %
Agricultural Land Use 24 %
Forested Land Use 62.9 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 64 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 16 meters 		11/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 20 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.9 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (4.9 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.64
Conductivity 102 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		137.2 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.6107 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 93
Creek Chubsucker 20
Tessellated Darter 13
American Eel 10
White Sucker 10
Green Sunfish 9
Creek Chub 7
Eastern Mudminnow 7
Bluegill 1
Chain Pickerel 1
Pirate Perch 1
Pumpkinseed 1
Rosyside Dace 1
Sea Lamprey 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
Eastern Box Turtle
Northern Green Frog
Northern Spring Peeper
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Upland Chorus Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 56
Ephemerellidae Spiny Crawler Mayfly 12
Isoperla Stripetail Stonefly 11
Perlidae Common Stonefly 7
Perlodidae Perlodid Stonefly 5
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 4
Prosimulium Black Fly 3
Neophylax Caddisfly 3
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 3
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 2
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Helichus Beetle 1
Stenelmis Beetle 1
Bezzia Biting Midge 1
Strophopteryx Early Brown Stonefly 1
Chloroperlidae Green Stonefly 1
Clioperla Green-Winged Stonefly 1
Diplectrona Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Dubiraphia Riffle Beetle 1
Agapetus Tiny Black Short-Horned Caddisfly 1
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 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.