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A Strategy for Fish-Friendly Stream Crossings

July 20, 2005

Fish traveling through streams in Massachusetts will eventually have an easier time crossing under the state's roads, thanks to a successful multi-site strategy The Nature Conservancy employed there. Last month, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued its new general wetlands permit for Massachusetts. For the first time ever, the permit requires new construction projects to use "fish-friendly" designs for bridges and culverts, the channels that allow water to pass under roads.

The problem in Massachusetts and other long-settled parts of the United States, explains aquatic ecologist Alison Bowden, is that many roads were built without regard to stream crossings. "We have lots of culverts that are discontinuous, which means there is a physical gap between the culvert and the rest of the stream," Bowden said. "If fish can't get out of the culvert, they can die or disrupt their spawning cycle."

To address this problem, a group of state agencies, academic institutions and environmental organizations – including The Nature Conservancy – have joined together in the River Continuity Project. The team worked with the University of Massachusetts Cooperative Extension to adapt existing eco-friendly bridge and culvert design guidelines for application in Massachusetts.

The release of these guidelines coincided with the five-year renewal of the Massachusetts general wetlands permit by the New England Division of the Corps of Engineers. The Corps learned about these standards and adopted them into the state’s permit. In time, use of these river-friendly standards could become the norm in most new and replacement crossings.

"There are tens of thousands of road crossings in Massachusetts," Bowden said. "If we dealt with them on a one-by-one basis, we wouldn't achieve anything at scale."

This project is an excellent example of a multi-site strategy that may also offer opportunities in other states, especially in New England.

For more information:

• How We Work: Sustainable Waters Initiative
  The vision of The Sustainable Waters Program is to help protect freshwater ecosystems by working with partners to advance water policies that secure adequate water flows in rivers, lakes and wetlands.
• Where We Work: The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts
  Working with partners and local communities, The Nature Conservancy has preserved more than 22,000 acres of natural areas in Massachusetts.
• On the Web: River Continuity: Evaluating Fish and Wildlife Movement at Culverts and Bridges
  River Continuity is aimed at reducing local impediments to movement of fish, wildlife and other aquatic life, which require instream passage. Volunteers conduct surveys to identify problem culverts and bridge crossings.
• Archive of our Saves of the Week and Success Stories
  Read more about The Nature Conservancy's work to save the last great places on Earth.