Using small triangular baffles to facilitate upstream fish passage in standard box culverts

Abstract

A culvert is a covered channel to pass streams and floodwaters through an embankment. The ecological impact of culverts has been recognised, in particular in terms of stream connectivity, but existing guidelines lead often to un-economical culvert design. Herein, a small triangular corner baffle system was tested physically in a near-full-scale fish-friendly facility of a box culvert barrel. Experiments were repeated with several configurations to characterise the flow properties for a range of less-than-design flows, baffle sizes and spacings. In presence of triangular corner baffles, the flow was asymmetrical, owing to the wake behind each baffle. The presence of triangular corner baffles had a moderate effect on the flow resistance and discharge capacity, albeit the data indicated the combined effect of relative baffle height and spacing on the friction factor. With triangular baffles, the surface area of slow velocity regions increased by a factor of two to three. Such low velocity regions are preferential swimming zones for fish, beneficial to small-bodied fish passage. Testing with small-bodied fish showed that fish preferred to swim upstream in slow-velocity regions, typically next to the sidewalls and in the left corner where the triangular baffles were located. The presence of small triangular baffles facilitated substantially the upstream passage of small fish, including in terms of endurance, compared to a smooth un-baffled box culvert barrel, when the baffle size was comparable to the fish length. The present findings highlighted the importance of physical modelling at near full-scale for the development of fish-friendly culvert designs.