MBSS Site Summary for: PRUT-106-B-2007

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRUT-106-B-2007-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRUT-106-B-2007-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Henson Creek UT5 in the Potomac River U tidal watershed, 8-digit code: 02140201.
This stream was visited in the spring on 4/10/2007 and again in the summer on 6/11/2007.

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 - 2.4 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 674 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 86.8 %
Agricultural Land Use 2.4 %
Forested Land Use 10.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 6/20 (Marginal)
Epifaunal Substrate 12/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 7/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 50 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 70 meters 		6/20 (Marginal)
Shading 99 %
Embeddedness 30 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 7.8 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.58
Conductivity 295 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		908.7 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.225 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 7 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 148
Creek Chub 22
Tessellated Darter 6
Longnose Dace 4
Swallowtail Shiner 3
Satinfin Shiner 2
Mummichog 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
Northern Dusky Salamander

Crayfish:
No crayfish noted.

Exotic Plants:
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 54
Hydrobaenus Midge 28
Menetus Air Breathing Freshwater Snail 10
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 6
Coenagrionidae Narrowwinged Damselfly 6
Naididae Aquatic Worm 5
Parametriocnemus Non-Biting Midges 4
Tanypodinae Non-Biting Midges 2
Prostoma Freshwater Nemertean (Ribbon Worm) 2
Diamesa Bloodworm 2
Calopteryx Damselfly 1
Spirosperma Aquatic Oligochaete Worm 1
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 1
Cryptochironomus 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.