MBSS Site Summary for: MO-P-489-314-97


Located on NORTHWEST BR in the Anacostia River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140205.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/6/1997 and again in the summer on 6/12/1997.

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 - 3.7 / 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 8,231 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 7.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 51.3 %
Forested Land Use 40.2 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 17/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 9/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 40 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.9 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.32
Conductivity 162 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		827.6 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 3.8 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
Bluntnose Minnow 257
Blacknose Dace 92
Spottail Shiner 72
Tessellated Darter 36
White Sucker 33
Fantail Darter 32
Rosyside Dace 30
Creek Chub 19
Redbreast Sunfish 18
Silverjaw Minnow 17
Common Shiner 16
Satinfin Shiner 14
Longnose Dace 13
Northern Hogsucker 9
Brown Bullhead 7
Margined Madtom 7
Cutlip Minnow 3
American Eel 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern American Toad
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
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 42
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 24
Naididae Aquatic Worm 6
Prosimulium Black Fly 5
Optioservus Riffle Beetle 3
Antocha Crane Fly 2
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 2
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 2
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Sympotthastia Non-Biting Midges 1
Diamesa Bloodworm 1
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 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.