MBSS Site Summary for: MO-P-480-326-97


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 Poor - 2.3 / 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 12,989 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 43.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 14.9 %
Forested Land Use 41 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 9/20 (Marginal)
Shading 90 %
Embeddedness 35 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 19.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.1 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.83
Conductivity 285 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1201 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 10 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 259
Longnose Dace 41
Blacknose Dace 34
Silverjaw Minnow 21
Tessellated Darter 16
White Sucker 14
American Eel 6
Redbreast Sunfish 2
Largemouth Bass 1
Potomac Sculpin 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
Cambarus bartonii bartonii

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 27
Naididae Aquatic Worm 14
Diamesa Bloodworm 7
Baetis Blue-Winged Olive Mayfly 3
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 3
Crangonyx Amphipod 2
Lumbriculidae Worm 2
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 1
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Simuliidae Black Fly 1
Paratanytarsus 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.