MBSS Site Summary for: WA-V-193-110-95


Located on POTOMAC R UT5 in the Potomac River WA Cnty watershed, 8-digit code: 02140501.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/2/1995 and again in the summer on 7/24/1995.

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 - 1.0 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Poor - 1.8 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 1,729 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 0.9 %
Agricultural Land Use 86.9 %
Forested Land Use 11.8 %


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

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 1/20 (Poor)
Epifaunal Substrate 1/20 (Poor)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 6/20 (Marginal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		3/20 (Poor)
Riffle Quality 3/20 (Poor)
Shading 5 %
Embeddedness 100 %
The embeddedness, a measure of silt on the stream bottom, was 100%. This is very high, and may adversely affect biotic communities.
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Poor' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 25 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 5.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 8.03
Conductivity 525 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		4007 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 2 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 1 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
No Fish Observed 0
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
Micropsectra Non-Biting Midges 40
Orthocladius Non-Biting Midges 36
Cybister 8
Pentaneura 5
Conchapelopia Non-Biting Midges 5
Hydropsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 4
Clinotanypus Non-Biting Midge 4
Cryptochironomus Non-Biting Midges 2
Polypedilum Non-Biting Midges 2
Acerpenna Tiny Blue-Winged Olive Mayflies 2
Limnodrilus Worm 1
Physa Air-Breathing Freshwater Snail 1
Girardia Freshwater Flatworm 1
Cheumatopsyche Net-Spinning Caddisfly 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.