Envco – Environmental Equipment

Stream embeddedness is the degree to which rocks, gravel, cobble or stones of the stream bottom are surrounded by fine particles (sediment). The degree of embeddedness can affect spawning habitat for fish such as trout and salmon. Fish also use these areas for shelter and egg incubation. The more embedded in the sediment a rock becomes, the less surface area is available to the macroinvertebrates which are an important food source for fish. Both fish and aquatic insects are more successful with low embeddedness. Periphyton growth is also hampered by high embeddedness.

The sampler consists of a 30 cm or 60 cm diameter survey hoop (ring) made of heavy gauge stainless steel with handles. We include two clear rulers for measuring the cobble. To use, gently push the ring below the surface of the sediment and remove and measure each non-embedded rock. Next, measure each embedded piece with rulers and determine the depth of embeddedness.

16-E30 Stream / Survey Ring 30cm: 30cm Stainless Steel
16-E60 Stream / Survey Ring 60cm: 60cm Stainless Steel