Two tributaries to Mattawoman Creek in Charles County, MD, have been studied to an unusual degree because the streams traverse a wooded area that was subject to a controversial development proposal. The full 2200-acre tract, often referred to as Chapman Forest, was preserved by the state in 1998.
 
Comparison of the two streams, designated here as the “north” and “south” tributaries or “tribs,” is facilitated because their watersheds share a boundary, are comparably sized, and possess similar physiogeography.  However, land use differs significantly, with the north being more urbanized.[1] The available reports characterizing these streams,[1-5] summarized on the following web pages, appear to provide a notable case study that illustrates the deleterious effects of urbanization on a wide variety of aquatic factors:

• Excess nutrient and sediment loadings increased with urbanization.[1]
• The Index of Biotic Integrity for benthic macroinvertebrates[2] (bottom dwelling insect larvae, etc.) declines with increased subwatershed urbanization.
• Fewer resident fish species occur in the more urbanized north trib.[5]
• Spawning River Herring are absent in the north trib,[3] in contrast to the less disturbed south trib, which is visited by both Blueback and Alewife Herring.[3,4]

 

References

 

1. T.E. Jordan, D.L. Correll, D.E. Weller, “Mattawoman Creek Watershed: Nutrient and Sediment Dynamics”, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (2000).
2. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/streams/mbss/mbss_volun.html 

3. J.P. Long, “Icthoyplankton Sampling of Anadromous Fish Usage in Mattawoman Creek,” reports filed with Maryland Department of Natural Resources (1998, 1999, 2000).
4. J. O'Dell, J. Gabor, R. Dintaman, "Survey of Anadromous Fish Spawning Areas-Completion Report," Mayland Department of Natural Resources.
5. E.A. Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., "Anadromous Fish Survey of Two Un-named Tributaries to Mattawoman Creek," (1995).

 

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