MBSS Site Summary for: PRUT-202-R-2009

Site Photos

Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRUT-202-R-2009-1 (Opens in a new window) Field photo showing stream conditions at site PRUT-202-R-2009-2 (Opens in a new window)

Located on Henson Creek in the Potomac River U tidal watershed, 8-digit code: 02140201.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/30/2009 and again in the summer on 8/17/2009.

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 Good - 4.3 / 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 11,787 acres A highly channelized urban stream with concrete banks. An example of a highly channelized urban stream.
Urban Land Use 69 %
Agricultural Land Use 5.9 %
Forested Land Use 24.3 %


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 13/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = 75 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Riffle Quality
Riffle Extent = 30 meters 		15/20 (Suboptimal)
Shading 65 %
Embeddedness 25 %


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 23.6 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 9.6 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.27
Conductivity 331 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		1062.9 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2.7077 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 19 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blacknose Dace 93
Tessellated Darter 65
Swallowtail Shiner 48
American Eel 43
Yellow Bullhead 30
Satinfin Shiner 26
Banded Killifish 25
Longnose Dace 17
Redbreast Sunfish 17
Central Stoneroller 8
Mummichog 8
Creek Chub 6
Pumpkinseed 3
White Sucker 3
Spotfin Shiner 2
Black Crappie 1
Bluegill 1
Creek Chubsucker 1
Largemouth Bass 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
American Bullfrog
Pickerel Frog
Southern Leopard Frog

Crayfish:
Orconectes limosus

Exotic Plants:
Japanese Stiltgrass
Mile-A-Minute
Multiflora Rose
Tree Of Heaven
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 73
Cricotopus Non-Biting Midges 13
Orthocladiinae Midge 8
Rheotanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 6
Tanytarsini Non-Biting Midges 2
Tribelos Non-Biting Midges 2
Enallagma Narrow-Winged Damselfly 2
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 2
Diamesa Bloodworm 2
Stenochironomus European Non-Biting Midge 1
Naididae Aquatic Worm 1
Simuliidae Black Fly 1
Argia Narrow-Winged Damselfly 1
Lumbriculidae Worm 1
Dicrotendipes Non-Biting Midges 1
Tanytarsus Non-Biting Midges 1
Thienemannimyia Group 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.