Erosion on the Sawmill River in Montague, MA. Credit: USFWS

Location of Roads Solutions

By reducing natural stream flow, culverts can be obstructions to fish passage. Contaminants like road salt, sand, and engine oil on large surface areas such as parking lots and highways can run into streams after rain storms seriously affecting water quality.

What can you do about culverts?

• See that your town installs culverts that facilitate passage

• Design a culvert for fish with weakest swimming ability

• Design a culvert that anticipates channel changes

• Restrict installation in spawning areas

• Remove existing culvert

• Benefits
  • Fish passage
  • Unobstructed storm flow
  • Safer road crossings
     
    
• Assistance
  • Grants and more information on replacement or removal of culverts
  • Information on design of road culverts for fish passage

What can be done concerning issues with roads?

• Use proper planning, grading, and placement

• Build and maintain catch basins for sedimentation/contaminants

• Minimize the use of road salt

• Ensure proper stream buffers exist between roads and streams

• Benefits
  • Prevents sedimentation that clogs fish gills and suffocates eggs
     
    
• Assistance
  • Information on best management practices in road salting and snow storage
     

The solutions to habitat problems caused by roads include highway and road management, culvert design and installation, road grading, road location, roadside plantings and runoff management.