Post on 28-Feb-2018
Publication No. FHWA-HIF-11-008 October 2010
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
Hydraulic Engineering Circular No. 26, First Edition
CULVERT DESIGN FOR AQUATIC ORGANISM PASSAGE
Federal Lands Highways
Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report No. FHWA-HIF-11-008
HEC-26 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipients Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle
Culvert Design for Aquatic Organism Passage Hydraulic Engineering Circular Number 26
5. Report Date October 2010
6. Performing Organization Code
7. Author(s)
Roger T. Kilgore, Bart S. Bergendahl, and Rollin H. Hotchkiss
8. Performing Organization Report No.
9. Performance Organization Name and Address
Kilgore Consulting and Management Denver, Colorado
10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
11. Contract or Grant No.
13. Type of Report and Period Covered
Final Report 11/1/07 11/30/09
12. Sponsoring Agency and Address
Central Federal Lands Highway Division 12300 West Dakota Ave. Lakewood, Colorado 80228
14. Sponsoring Agency Code
15. Supplementary Notes
Contracting Officers Technical Representative: Bart Bergendahl Technical Support: Christopher Goodell, Alan Johnson, Philip Thompson, Steve Rainey, Christopher Frei
16. Abstract
This document presents a stream simulation design procedure, methods and best practices for designing culverts to facilitate aquatic organism passage (AOP). The primary goal of this document is to incorporate many of the current geomorphic-based design approaches for AOP while providing a procedure based on quantitative best practices. It presents a bed stability-based approach that accounts for the physical processes related to the natural hydraulic, stream stability, and sediment transport characteristics of a particular stream crossing. Specific information on fish, or other aquatic organisms, is not required, but should be incorporated when required. The document provides a context for stream crossing design and describes the applicability of the design procedure. It also provides important background information a designer should be familiar with including how culverts create barriers, techniques for culvert assessments and inventories, fish biology, fish passage hydrology, stream geomorphology, construction, and post-construction. Detailed technical information supporting the practices used within the design procedure and several design examples are included in the appendices. The core of the document is a 13-step design procedure. Step 1 involves determination of the hydrologic requirements for the site for both flood flows and passage flows. Step 2 defines the project reach and establishes the representative channel characteristics appropriate for the design. Steps 3 and 4 are to identify whether the stream is stable (Step 3). If not, channel instabilities are analyzed and potentially mitigated (Step 4). In Step 5, an initial culvert size, alignment, and material are selected based on the flood peak flow. Subsequently, the stability of the bed material is analyzed under the high passage flow (Steps 6 and 7) and flood peak flow (Steps 8 and 9). Steps 10, 11, and 12 focus on the velocity and depth in the culvert. However, these parameters are not compared with species-specific values, but rather are compared with the values upstream and downstream of the culvert insuring that if an organism can pass the upstream and downstream channel, it will also be able to pass through the culvert. Step 13 allows the designer to review the completed design.
17. Key Words:
Culvert design, Aquatic organism passage (AOP), Fish passage
18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161
19. Security Classif. (of this report)
Unclassified
20. Security Classif. (of this page)
Unclassified
21. No. of Pages
234
22. Price
Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Kilgore Consulting and Management (Roger Kilgore, P.E., Principal) prepared this first edition of HEC 26. In addition to Mr. Kilgore, the project team included Rollin Hotchkiss, Ph.D., P.E. (Brigham Young University), Christopher Goodell, P.E. (WEST Consultants), Alan Johnson (Aquatic Resource Consultants), Philip Thompson, P.E. (independent consultant), Steve Rainey, P.E. (Fish Passage Engineer, GEI Consultants), and Jeff Bradley, Ph.D., P.E. (WEST Consultants).
The work performed by Rollin Hotchkiss and Christopher Frei in FHWAs Design for Fish Passage and Road-Stream Crossings: Synthesis Report (2007) was used to identify a broad range of background material and references.
The work was completed under the direction of FHWAs Project Manager, Bart Bergendahl, P.E., who also contributed significantly to the content of this document.
Several reviewers from a Technical Advisory Committee and the FHWA contributed comments, corrections, and suggestions. These contributors were:
Technical Advisory Committee Mike Furniss United States Forest Service
Robert Gubernick United States Forest Service
Charles Hebson Maine Department of Transportation
Andrzej Kosicki Maryland State Highway Administration
Bryan Nordlund National Marine Fisheries Service
Mark Weinhold United States Forest Service
Marcin Whitman California Department of Fish and Game
FHWA Larry Arneson Hydraulics Engineer
Eric Brown Hydraulics Engineer
Mark Browning Hydraulics Engineer
David Carlson Environmental Specialist
Stephen Earsom Environmental Specialist
Paul Garrett Ecologist
Mary Gray Environmental Specialist
Scott Hogan Hydraulic Engineer
Kevin Moody Environmental Specialist
Melissa Schnier Environmental Biologist
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS Page
ACKNOWLEDGMENT..................................................................................................... I TABLE OF CONTENTS.................................................................................................. II LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ VIII LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... X GLOSSARY .................................................................................................................. XII GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS .................................................................................. XVIII LIST OF SYMBOLS ..................................................................................................... XX
CHAPTER 1 - INTRODUCTION .................................................................................. 1-1 1.1 PURPOSE ......................................................................................................... 1-1 1.2 CONTEXT ......................................................................................................... 1-2
1.2.1 Historical Crossing Design.................................................................. 1-2 1.2.2 Road Stream Interaction ..................................................................... 1-2
1.3 DESIGN PROCEDURE APPLICABILITY .......................................................... 1-3 1.4 MANUAL ORGANIZATION ............................................................................... 1-3
CHAPTER 2 - CULVERTS AS PASSAGE BARRIERS .............................................. 2-1 2.1 STREAM FRAGMENTATION............................................................................ 2-1 2.2 BARRIER MECHANISMS ................................................................................. 2-2
2.2.1 Drop at Culvert Outlet ......................................................................... 2-2 2.2.2 Outlet Pool Depth ............................................................................... 2-2 2.2.3 Excessive Barrel Velocity ................................................................... 2-3
2.2.3.1 Boundary Layer Velocity ...................................................... 2-3 2.2.3.2 Average Velocity .................................................................. 2-4 2.2.3.3 Maximum Point Velocity ....................................................... 2-4 2.2.3.4 Inlet Transition Velocity ........................................................ 2-4
2.2.4 Insufficient Depth ................................................................................ 2-4 2.2.5 Excessive Turbulence ........................................................................ 2-4 2.2.6 Culvert Length .................................................................................... 2-5 2.2.7 Debris and Sediment Accumulation .................................................... 2-5 2.2.8 Culvert Damage .................................................................................. 2-5
CHAPTER 3 - AOP CULVERT ASSESSMENT AND INVENTORY ............................ 3-1 3.1 AOP CULVERT ASSESSMENT ........................................................................ 3-1
3.1.1 Assessment Criteria ........................................................................... 3-1 3.1.2 Degree of Barrier ................................................................................ 3-1 3.1.3 Data Collection ................................................................................... 3-2
3.2 CULVERT INVENTORY ..