edward gonnella transportation conference presentation
TRANSCRIPT
At CrossroadsThe intersection between transportation and fish passage in the
Penobscot River Drainage
Edward Gonnella
Objectives
• Problem
• Research
• Conclusions / Recommendations
Problem
Anadromous
History
Endangered Species Act
“Anadromous fish so thick you could walk across the rivers on their backs.”
Anadromous Fish
Stream Connectivity
• Definition
• Effects
Research
• Maine GIS Habitat Stream Viewer
• Penobscot River Restoration Project
• Proper engineering practices
Maine GIS Habitat Stream viewer• http://mapserver.maine.gov/streamviewer/index.html
Penobscot RiverRestorationProject
Road Stream Town
RT 188 Eskutassis Stream Lowell
RT 11 East Branch Pleasant Stream Brownville
RT 155 Bear Brook Lagrange
RT 178 Blackman’s Stream Bradley
RT 152, RT 2 W.B. Mattawamkeg Stream Island Falls
Proper Design
• Culverts
• Bridges
Source: Nature Conservancy
Before
After
Economic Analysis
• Avoid road and culvert damage repair costs following storms
• Improve fishing watershed‐wide due to improved fish passage
• Avoid private property damage
• Improve safety
• Utilize outside sources of funding
• Atlantic Salmon Federation
• Nature Conservancy
• NOAA
Source: BDN
300,000 Alewives returned to Blackman’s Stream in 2015
Conclusions
• Fish passage and stream connectivity at stream crossings are necessary due to the advantages that in provides environmentally, societally and economically. It is well said by McKay (2013) that stream connectivity is “of particular importance to mobile, aquatic [organisms] such as fish, which serve not only as economically, socially and culturally important species, but also ecologically important species that alter large-scale ecosystem processes”
• Each passage site must be analyzed on an individual basis to determine what type of passage structure will best fit the particular stream (Bunt, 2012).
Conclusions (cont)
• Stream connectivity can be an economically viable with proper planning and life cycle analysis.
• A variety of bridge and culvert designs can cause stream connectivity issues, but, in general, most bridge designs do not create a barrier for fish.
Alewife
Recommendations
• Any potential stream connectivity issue should be approached proactively, to avoid situations such as the one in the summer of 2014 where DOT had to make a temporary solution in the middle of a fish run.
• For each issue, engineers should “explicitly consider the full range of management options and objectives that are relevant to the decisions being made and use models to forecast the expected consequences of each option.” (McLaughlin, 2013, p. 594)
Rec (cont.) • All streams that are part of the
Penobscot River drainage and have potential for anadromous fish passage should be analyzed for stream connectivity issues at all crossing between roads and streams, and design plans should be created and analyzed
• Other river systems as well (Kennebec, Androscoggin, etc)
Final Recommendation
• It is all about prioritizing• Which species is blocked
• Structural safety
• Relationship with Penobscot River
Restoration Plan
• Economic potential
• Potential flooding
• Maintenance issues
Questions? And for additional info
• Google: • Maine Stream Habitat Viewer• Atlantic Salmon Federation