Possible Solutions
This is the Cedar-Salt Creek culvert. Cedar-Salt Creek has about 3-4 miles of spawning gravel above this culvert and only 0.2 miles below the culvert to the lake. A recent inspection (9/4/04) of the lower stream section showed it contains thousands of smelts in the pools even with the small amount of spawning gravel available. Inspection of a section of stream above the culvert only revealed two (2) smelts.
United States Forest Service Solutions Click Here
Picture by Norman Ploss (C) 2004
The interior of these culverts have been retrofitted with baffles as seen below.
Downstream shot.
Upstream shot. Note the upstream side is a smooth inflow.
Picture by Norman Ploss (C) 2004
One solution is the use of a precast three sided bridge system such as the one built by Con Span Bridge Systems. Their website is http://www.con-span.com/con-span/main.html and there are many pictures of such a construction. One of the pictures is below:
Note the natural stream bottom. Also note the step pool below the bridge. Another view showing the natural stream bottom is below:
Estimation of Cost
We have provided
estimate of cost for such a system which were derived from a similar system
built for the County of Santa Cruz, California. The stream is Crystal Creek,
a steelhead nursery, in Happy Valley near the City of Santa Cruz. If
you would like to see the current estimate for the fix of these problems.
Click the picture below for full view.
Here are some links that have other solutions:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/wildlifecrossings/fish.htm
This site
promotes the removal of barriers under highways and is published by the
Federal Highway Administration.
http://www.nwifc.wa.gov/sshiap2/fishpass.asp.
The Northwest Indian
Fisheries Commission site on culvert barriers and dams
http://stream.fs.fed.us/fishxing/
Engineering assistance program for
designing culverts for fish passage. Sponsored by USDA and the Forest
Service
http://fisheries.fws.gov/FWSMA/FishPassage/
National Fish Passage
Program sponsored by the United States Department of Fish and Wildlife
Service
http://www.dnr.wa.gov/sflo/fffpp/
A site for Family Forest Fish Passage
Program sponsored the State of Washington Small Landowner Forest Program
http://www.lsc.usgs.gov/CAFL/Fish Passage/Fish Passage Web Page.htm
This
is the USGS/Department of Interior site for study of fish passage for
anadromous fish.
http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/pm/e/enfish.htm
This is the US Army Corp
of Engineers site for fish passage studies.
http://www.isi.water.ca.gov/fish/fishindex.shtml.
This is the
California Department of Water Resources Fish Passage Improvement Program.
New
Dimensions + Civil Engineering
and Environmental Project Management
Box 7613
Santa Cruz, California 95061
(831) 588-3817 mobile
ndeanploss@aol.com
