MBSS Site Summary for: MATT-210-R-2014

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site MATT-210-R-2014-MidpointDownstream (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site MATT-210-R-2014-MidpointUpstream (Opens in a new window)

Located on PINEY BRANCH in the Mattawoman Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140111.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/23/2014 and again in the summer on 7/30/2014.

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 5,258 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 63.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 2.5 %
Forested Land Use 29.5 %


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 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		14/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 20 meters 		8/20 (Marginal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 80 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 80%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
pH (lab) 7.02
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		341.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 5.4997 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 22 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Eastern Mosquitofish 666
Bluegill 113
Eastern Mudminnow 65
Green Sunfish 47
American Eel 40
Tessellated Darter 33
Pumpkinseed 20
Redbreast Sunfish 20
Creek Chubsucker 19
Northern Snakehead 8
Brown Bullhead 7
Fallfish 7
Largemouth Bass 5
Redfin Pickerel 4
Lepomis Hybrid 3
Blacknose Dace 2
Chain Pickerel 2
Golden Shiner 2
Yellow Bullhead 2
Creek Chub 1
Sea Lamprey 1
White Sucker 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Eastern American Toad
Eastern Box Turtle
Marbled Salamander
Northern Green Frog
Southern Leopard Frog
Spotted Salamander

Crayfish:
Cambarus diogenes
Orconectes
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Oriental Bittersweet
Wineberry
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 56
Plauditus Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 15
Amphinemura Spring Stonefly 9
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 8
Neoporous Predaceous Diving Beetle 3
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Caenis Mayfly 2
Eurylophella Mayfly 2
Hydrobaenus Midge 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Natarsia Non-Biting Midges 1
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Peltodytes Crawling Water Beetle 1
Paratendipes European Non-Biting Midge 1
Oecetis Long-Horned Caddisfly 1
Potthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Stempellinella Non-Biting Midges 1
Ironoquia Northern Caddisfly 1
Ceraclea Scaly-Winged Sedge 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.