As long-lived, ubiquitous aquatic consumers of both primary producers and other invertebrates, macroinvertebrates are a useful indicator of health in aquatic systems. Benthic invertebrate monitoring of tributaries of the Athabasca River provides a seasonal benchmark for the composition of invertebrate communities over the open water season of 2012 (May, June, July, August, September, October) and 2013 (August, September) that can be compared to other invertebrate sampling methods to compare efficacy. Invertebrates were sampled over month-long periods in which rock baskets were submerged in the stream and invertebrates were collected on artificial substrates (distinct from the artificial substrates in the sediment traps). In this data set, communities are identified to the taxonomic resolution of genus/species
