Thinking Inside the Box (Culvert): Developing a Low-Cost, Easy-to-Install Retrofit Prototype for Fish Passage

This project addresses a need to develop a low-cost, easy to install, and safe culvert retrofit for fish passage. Culverts can create barriers to fish movement due to fast flowing water with no resting areas, shallow flow and/or lack of cover. While new culvert design guidance addresses these concerns, there are many existing culverts that have known fish passage issues that are not slated for replacement. The project team previously investigated a potential solution, using mussel spat rope, a fibrous plastic rope that has been demonstrated to facilitate fish passage in New Zealand. This design showed promise in laboratory, fish, and field trials; however, despite interest, concerns over the release of plastic to the environment have inhibited its use. Therefore, the project team proposes leveraging this experience to develop an entirely new solution that has similar benefits of the mussel spat rope installation (i.e. create low flow resting areas, cover, and have minimal impact to culvert capacity) but is made with bio-based sustainable materials. The goals of this project are to: (1) identify appropriate materials and (2) design and test protypes in flume experiments. At the conclusion of this project, the project team will have a viable prototype design ready for field-scale testing and/or deployment as well as an analysis of manufacturing viability. Because of the commercial potential of this design, the project team will consult with the UMN Technology Commercialization to protect any intellectual property developed as part of this project.

• Record URL:
  https://www.cts.umn.edu/research/project/thinking-inside-the-box-culvert-developing-a-low-cost-easy-to-install-retrofit-prototype-for-fish-passage

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $49715
• Contract Numbers:

  CTS #2023018

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota

  University Office Plaza, Suite 440
  2221 University Avenue SE
  Minneapolis, MN  United States  55414
• Principal Investigators:

  Kozarek, Jessica

• Start Date: 20220701
• Expected Completion Date: 20231231
• Actual Completion Date: 20240507

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Box culverts; Design; Field tests; Fish ladders; Materials; Prototypes; Retrofitting; Rope
• Geographic Terms: New Zealand
• Subject Areas: Bridges and other structures; Design; Environment; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01855093
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
• Contract Numbers: CTS #2023018
• Files: RIP
• Created Date: Aug 19 2022 11:44AM