As the frequency of extreme rain events rises due to the changing climate, maintaining adequate culverts and stream crossings will be increasingly important for protecting wildlife corridors and connectivity, in addition to reducing flood impacts. Culverts can be designed with climate projections in mind. This will help not only to maintain fish passage and habitat connectivity, but also to extend their longevity (and save money!) by reducing their vulnerability to larger storm events. For example, a study of culvert performance during Tropical Storm Irene found that the culverts upgraded using stream-simulation practices all persisted without damage, resulting in a savings of millions of dollars despite the additional upfront higher cost compared to conventional design.
More Information
- Replacing Culverts for Flood Resiliency and Aquatic Connectivity: Presentation by Cheryl Bondi and Lori Sommer at the Actions for Wildlife in a Changing Climate workshop (12/6/18)
- NH Stream Crossing Initiative brochure
- NHDES Stream Crossing website, which includes links to Stream Crossing Assessment Protocol, Stream Crossing Guidelines, and the Aquatic Restoration Web Mapper.
- Flood Effects on Road-Stream Crossing Infrastructure: Economic and Ecological Benefits of Stream Simulation Designs, Nathaniel Gillespie et al. (2014)
