Location
UMass Amherst
Event Website
http://fishpassage.ecs.umass.edu/Conference2012/
Start Date
5-6-2012 3:25 PM
End Date
5-6-2012 3:45 PM
Description
Fish connectivity analyses on the East and West coasts of the United States have traditionally focused on studying the passage of salmonid species through culverts. Such studies have not been conducted for the Midwest region, where it has generally been assumed that there is not a major migration/connectivity problem. A study has been carried out to investigate the percentage of culverts in Northeast Ohio that are barriers to a range (10 different species) of endemic fish species. Further, the design parameters that correlate to passage success in Midwest fish species are also being studied. A database of 5,837 highway culverts was made available by the Ohio Department of Transportation, out of which 90 were chosen for analysis based on the presence of fish species and the possibility of extracting all necessary information for analysis. Regional databases were used along with GIS to obtain refined data of stream morphology, discharge, and slope which was then used as input to carry out the study using the FishXing software. Fish passage through culverts was analyzed at four different flows – minimum average monthly flow (usually September), maximum average monthly flow (Usually March), 2 year high flow, and 25% low flow. The results of the study have shown that 23 culverts were partial barriers for fish passage, meaning they allowed passage for some fish species under certain flow conditions. The remaining 67 culverts were complete barriers to all fish species under all flow conditions. It was noted that the ratio of partial barriers to complete barriers was higher in interstate routes as opposed to highway routes. This could be for a number of reasons including differing design standards or differences in local hydrology around I-80. It was also discovered that the average slope in the partial barrier culverts was significantly (student’s t-test, p < 0.05) lower (0.6%) than the average slope in the complete barrier culverts (1.6%). Culvert diameter and length were not significantly different between complete and partial barriers. Additional results discussing causal factors for fish passage through culverts in Midwest streams will be presented. It is expected that the results will provide a clearer view about the true extent of the connectivity problem in Northeast Ohio and will prompt policy discussions. The analysis method presented is expected to be easily replicable for any region or watershed.
Session B3 - Assessing Fish Passage through Culverts in Midwest Streams: Identifying Design Parameters that Correlate with Passage Success
UMass Amherst
Fish connectivity analyses on the East and West coasts of the United States have traditionally focused on studying the passage of salmonid species through culverts. Such studies have not been conducted for the Midwest region, where it has generally been assumed that there is not a major migration/connectivity problem. A study has been carried out to investigate the percentage of culverts in Northeast Ohio that are barriers to a range (10 different species) of endemic fish species. Further, the design parameters that correlate to passage success in Midwest fish species are also being studied. A database of 5,837 highway culverts was made available by the Ohio Department of Transportation, out of which 90 were chosen for analysis based on the presence of fish species and the possibility of extracting all necessary information for analysis. Regional databases were used along with GIS to obtain refined data of stream morphology, discharge, and slope which was then used as input to carry out the study using the FishXing software. Fish passage through culverts was analyzed at four different flows – minimum average monthly flow (usually September), maximum average monthly flow (Usually March), 2 year high flow, and 25% low flow. The results of the study have shown that 23 culverts were partial barriers for fish passage, meaning they allowed passage for some fish species under certain flow conditions. The remaining 67 culverts were complete barriers to all fish species under all flow conditions. It was noted that the ratio of partial barriers to complete barriers was higher in interstate routes as opposed to highway routes. This could be for a number of reasons including differing design standards or differences in local hydrology around I-80. It was also discovered that the average slope in the partial barrier culverts was significantly (student’s t-test, p < 0.05) lower (0.6%) than the average slope in the complete barrier culverts (1.6%). Culvert diameter and length were not significantly different between complete and partial barriers. Additional results discussing causal factors for fish passage through culverts in Midwest streams will be presented. It is expected that the results will provide a clearer view about the true extent of the connectivity problem in Northeast Ohio and will prompt policy discussions. The analysis method presented is expected to be easily replicable for any region or watershed.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/fishpassage_conference/2012/June5/37
Comments
Darshan Baral is a master's student at Youngstown State University studying Environmental/Water Resources Engineering. Prior to coming to YSU he graduated with a BS in Engineering and worked in Nepal on hydropower projects.