MBSS Site Summary for: MO-P-478-312-97


Located on CABIN JOHN CR in the Cabin John Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140207.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/13/1997 and again in the summer on 6/9/1997.

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 - 3.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.7 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 15,989 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 44.2 %
Agricultural Land Use 13.1 %
Forested Land Use 42.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 18/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 17/20 (Optimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		12/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality 17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 50 %
Embeddedness 30 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 15 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.09
Conductivity 260 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1347 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.9 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Longnose Dace 98
Central Stoneroller 56
Blacknose Dace 44
American Eel 27
Bluntnose Minnow 16
Redbreast Sunfish 10
Silverjaw Minnow 7
Satinfin Shiner 4
White Sucker 2
Tessellated Darter 1
Yellow Bullhead 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 37
Naididae Aquatic Worm 22
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 5
Stenelmis Beetle 3
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 3
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 2
Lumbriculidae Worm 2
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 2
Diamesa Bloodworm 2
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Culicoides 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 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.