MBSS Site Summary for: PG-N-251-305-97


Located on LITTLE PAINT BR in the Anacostia River watershed, 8-digit code: 02140205.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/25/1997 and again in the summer on 6/16/1997.

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 - 3.3 / 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 5,794 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 40.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 20.6 %
Forested Land Use 33.5 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 11/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 8/20 (Marginal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 10/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		7/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality 6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 70 %
Embeddedness 35 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 17.5 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.64
Conductivity 159 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		592.3 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.3 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 8 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 181
Longnose Dace 63
American Eel 14
Satinfin Shiner 13
Cutlip Minnow 12
Swallowtail Shiner 11
Redbreast Sunfish 5
Rosyside Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Eastern Ratsnake
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
Orthocladiinae A Non-Biting Midges 52
Cricotopus/Orthocladius Midge 33
Rheocricotopus Non-Biting Midges 4
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Eukiefferiella Non-Biting Midges 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Crangonyx Amphipod 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Polypedilum 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.