MBSS Site Summary for: PG-N-171-309-97


Located on NORTHWEST BR in the Anacostia River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140205.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/12/1997 and again in the summer on 8/13/1997.

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 - 3.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
(Hint: Screen readers will announce definitions; mouse users can hover over dotted text.)
Catchment area 29,985 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 42 %
Agricultural Land Use 21.2 %
Forested Land Use 36.4 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		18/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 1/20 (Poor)
Shading 20 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 25 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 6.5 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.63
Conductivity 330 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1059 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.4 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 16 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Spottail Shiner 272
White Sucker 106
Redbreast Sunfish 105
Bluntnose Minnow 36
Bluegill 27
Tessellated Darter 22
Swallowtail Shiner 21
American Eel 20
Satinfin Shiner 17
Cutlip Minnow 13
Northern Hogsucker 8
Pumpkinseed 8
Green Sunfish 6
Creek Chub 4
Yellow Bullhead 4
Silverjaw Minnow 2
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

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 31
Naididae Aquatic Worm 25
Enchytraeidae Aquatic Worm 18
Brillia Non-Biting Midges 3
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
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.