MBSS Site Summary for: PG-N-125-228-97


Located on BEAVERDAM CR in the Anacostia River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140205.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/18/1997 and again in the summer on 6/18/1997.

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 - 2.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.6 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 5,012 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 68.4 %
Agricultural Land Use 12.1 %
Forested Land Use 17.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 16/20 (Optimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 4/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 2/20 (Poor)
Shading 85 %
Embeddedness 60 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 60%. This is relatively high, and may exclude some biota.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.56
Conductivity 350 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1319 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 11 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Green Sunfish 49
Redbreast Sunfish 12
Golden Shiner 7
Swallowtail Shiner 6
American Eel 5
Pumpkinseed 5
Satinfin Shiner 5
Common Carp 3
Goldfish 2
White Sucker 2
Bluegill 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Green Frog
Northern Two-Lined Salamander
Northern Watersnake

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 47
Nanocladius Non-Biting Midges 5
Ablabesmyia Non-Biting Midge 5
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 4
Naididae Aquatic Worm 3
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 3
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 3
Lumbriculidae Worm 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 1
Hemerodromia Tiny Fly 1
Limnodrilus Worm 1
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Probezzia Biting Midges 1
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 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.