MBSS Site Summary for: MATT-316-A-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site MATT-316-A-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site MATT-316-A-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Mattawoman Creek in the Mattawoman Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140111.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/29/2007 and again in the summer on 7/17/2007.

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 - 5.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Good - 4.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 16,786 acres A stream flowing through a densely forested area. An example of a forested stream.
Urban Land Use 18.5 %
Agricultural Land Use 20.4 %
Forested Land Use 58.5 %


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 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 61 meters 		13/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 0 meters 		0/20 (Poor)
Shading 60 %
Embeddedness 75 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 75%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 22.7 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 3.8 mg/L
Dissolved oxygen levels measured in the stream were very low (3.8 mg/L). Many fishes and other aquatic animals cannot tolerate low levels of oxygen in the water.
pH (lab) 6.86
Conductivity 183 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		214.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 6.176 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 18 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluegill 196
Eastern Mosquitofish 99
Yellow Bullhead 93
Golden Shiner 65
Creek Chubsucker 61
Largemouth Bass 38
Brown Bullhead 35
Pumpkinseed 18
Redfin Pickerel 9
American Eel 8
Gizzard Shad 7
Tessellated Darter 6
Chain Pickerel 5
Redbreast Sunfish 4
Eastern Mudminnow 3
White Sucker 2
Green Sunfish 1
Least Brook Lamprey 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Box Turtle
Eastern Painted Turtle
Eastern Ratsnake
Eastern Snapping Turtle
Northern Copperhead

Crayfish:
Cambaridae
Procambarus clarkii

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Honeysuckle
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Caecidotea Isopod 55
Hyalella Amphipod 9
Synurella Amphipod 6
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 4
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 4
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 4
Siphlonurus Gray Drake Mayfly 3
Hydrobaenus Midge 3
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 3
Labrundinia Non-Biting Midges 3
Thienemannimyia group Non-Biting Midges 2
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 1
Paratanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Rheosmittia Non-Biting Midges 1
Stempellinella Non-Biting Midges 1
Triaenodes Long-Horned Caddisfly 1
Caenis Mayfly 1
Ceratopogonidae Biting Midge 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.