MBSS Site Summary for: MO-P-489-323-97


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 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 8,735 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 8.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 50.1 %
Forested Land Use 40.3 %


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 7/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		16/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 10/20 (Marginal)
Shading 75 %
Embeddedness 35 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.8 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 8.2 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.31
Conductivity 155 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		810.4 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 14 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Bluntnose Minnow 184
Blacknose Dace 105
Fantail Darter 25
Tessellated Darter 17
Creek Chub 14
Swallowtail Shiner 13
Rosyside Dace 10
Satinfin Shiner 10
Margined Madtom 9
Longnose Dace 6
Northern Hogsucker 4
Silverjaw Minnow 2
Green Sunfish 1
Redbreast Sunfish 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 37
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 37
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 9
Thienemannimyia Non-Biting Midges 3
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 2
Ephemerella Sulphur Mayfly 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Simulium Black Fly 1
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemanniella Non-Biting Midges 1
Clinocera Aquatic Dance Fly 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.