BMP Factsheet #11

CULVERT MAINTENANCE
& REPLACEMENT • High velocity within the culvert
Introduction
Road crossing culverts are common on all types of • Inadequate depth within the culvert
watercourses and are critical infrastructure for field • Turbulence within the culvert
and farm access. But if undersized or poorly installed, • Debris and sediment accumulation at the culvert
culverts can be a problem because they impede or block inlet or internally
fish passage to important habitat. Culverts that impede
fish passage have been identified as one of the most The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
limiting factors to healthy stocks of migrating salmon (WDFW) has published extensive information on
and other fish species. In comparison, well constructed culvert design and installation. This guidance should
bridges are superior to culverts in allowing drainage and be used when replacing an existing culvert or installing
fish passage. Consider replacing culverts with bridges a new culvert. It is recommended that installations
(see BMP Factsheet #12 Bridge Maintenance and on constructed watercourses also use WDFW criteria
Replacement). because it ensures that new culverts are properly sized
and will not impede drainage. See Factsheet #4 Agency
Drainage Improvement Districts (DIDs) may include Contact Requirements. Additional fish passage criteria
and permit culvert maintenance and replacement as can be found at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-
part of their Drainage Maintenance Plan (DMP) if Best Hydropower/FERC/upload/fish_passage_design.pdf.
Management Practices (BMPs) listed in this Factsheet are
adopted.
Culvert Maintenance BMPs
Every watercourse structure will require periodic
Culvert Replacement and Fish Passage maintenance. Culverts often become plugged or their
When replacing or installing a culvert in natural capacity reduced because of debris or vegetative material.
watercourses or modified natural watercourses, the design Headwalls may need occasional maintenance to prevent
will largely be based on criteria necessary to ensure fish erosion and collapse. In conducting maintenance
passage and avoid impacts to fish habitat. There are five activities consider:
common conditions at culverts that create barriers to 1. Timing Limitations: When water is present,
migrating fish: culvert maintenance shall only occur from August
• Excess drop at the culvert outlet 1 to September 30 when flows are low.
2. Debris or vegetative material can be removed by
hand without timing limitations to prevent the
need for larger repairs.
3. Maintenance work on culverts in modified natural
watercourses are subject to Agency Contact
Requirements, see Permitting Factsheet #4.
4. Headwall repair should take place during the dry
season when the work can be completed out of
the water.
5. If water is present when removing large quantities
of debris, vegetation or accumulated sediments,
additional measures must be taken to minimize
impacts to aquatic life and water quality. See
BMP Factsheet #16 Water Quality Protection
Measures for more details.
Salmon jumping at culvert.
Page 1 of 4
Culvert Replacement or Installation • Width equal to or greater than the average channel
bed width at the elevation the culvert meets the
Three design options have been approved by WDFW:
streambed. Make the culvert the same width as
• The No-Slope Design Option results in reasonably
the channel to maximize both water flow and fish
sized culverts without requiring much in the way
passage.
of calculations. The No-Slope option is almost
• A flat gradient. (No slope)
always the best choice for lowland agricultural
• The downstream invert is countersunk below the
watercourses.
channel bed by a minimum of 20 percent of the
• The Hydraulic Design Option is based on velocity,
culvert diameter or rise.
depth and maximum turbulence requirements for a
• The upstream invert is countersunk below the
target fish species and age class.
channel bed by a maximum of 40 percent of the
• The Stream Simulation Design Option involves
culvert diameter or rise.
constructing an artificial stream channel inside the
• The possibility of upstream headcut has been taken
culvert, thereby providing passage for any fish that
into account.
may be migrating through the reach.
• There is adequate flood capacity.
Combining the requirements of countersinking the
outlet and the culvert width for a circular culvert, the
diameter must be at least 1.25 times the channel bed
width. The information typically needed for a No-Slope
Design Option culvert includes:
• The average natural channel-bed width.
• The natural channel slope.
• The elevation of the natural channel bed at the
culvert outlet.
• The evaluation of potential headcut impacts
upstream of the culvert.

Channel-bed Width
Use the average of at least three typical widths in
free flowing and unconstrained areas upstream and
Undersized culvert with unstable road crossing downstream of the culvert location. For the purpose of
culvert design, the channel-bed width is defined as the
Culvert Location width of the bankfull channel. The bankfull channel is
defined as the stage when water just begins to overflow
Even the best designed culvert has the potential
into the active floodplain. Many incised streams or
to become a fish passage barrier, drainage barrier or
modified watercourses are no longer connected to the
maintenance headache. Look at your farm or Drainage
floodplain. In these situations the channel bed width may
Improvement District from a big-picture perspective and
also be determined from the Active Channel Width and
find ways to have as few culverts as possible. Location
Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM). The OHWM can
considerations include:
usually be identified by physical scarring along the bank
• Make the culvert as short as possible without
deviating from the direction of the upstream and
downstream channel course by more than 30
degrees.
• Choose an area with minimal and consistent stream
gradient, not areas where the gradient is steep or
transitioning.

No-Slope Design Option

Successful fish passage can be expected if the culvert
is sufficiently large and is installed flat, allowing the
natural movement of bedload to form a stable bed inside
the culvert. Bedload is the sediments making up the
watercourse bottom such as gravel and soils. Design
criteria for a No-Slope culvert are:
Culvert Replacement
Page 2 of 4
or shore, or by other distinctive signs such as the lower Culvert Replacement BMPs
line of perennial vegetation. This scarring is the mark
along the bank where the action of water is so common 1. Timing Limitations: When water is present in the
as to leave a natural line impressed on the bank. That channel, culvert work below the waterline shall
line may be indicated by erosion, shelving, change in occur between August 1 and September 30.
soil characteristics, destruction of terrestrial vegetation, 2. The damaged culvert and associated fill shall
presence of litter or debris, or other distinctive physical be removed from the watercourse and deposited
characteristics. upland so that it cannot re-enter the watercourse.
3. The culvert shall be placed on a flat gradient
with the bottom of the culvert placed below the
level of the streambed a minimum of 20 percent
of the culvert diameter for a round culvert, and
20 percent of the culvert’s rise for an elliptical
culvert. The 20 percent placement below the
streambed shall be measured at the culvert outlet.
(see above for more details).
4. The culvert shall be constructed to pass the 100-
year peak flow with considertation of the debris
likely to be encountered.
5. The culvert shall be maintained free of debris to
ensure unimpeded drainage and fish passage.
6. Fill associated with the culvert installation and
approach material shall be structurally stable and
Culvert Replacement shall be composed of material that, if eroded into
the watercourse, shall not be detrimental to fish
Channel Slope life.
The calculation for average channel slope is based on 7. Fill associated with the culvert installation and
water-surface elevations and a distance along the channel approach material shall be protected from erosion
that is at least 40 channel widths long, or 400 feet. to the 100-year peak flow.
8. If an existing culvert is replaced by a bridge
Once these determinations are made, a culvert structure, then the existing culvert and associated
design can be finalized. In fish bearing watercourses fill shall be completely removed from the
it has become common place to fill the bottom 20% watercourse and the new bridge shall be subject
of the culvert with “fish gravel” to both stabilize the to the bridge provisions discussed in Factsheet
bed material and enhance a little fish habitat. It may #12 Bridge Maintenance and Replacement.
be advisable to hire professional help to ensure an 9. When water is present in the channel, fish must
appropriate design and long lasting installation. be removed from the impacted area prior to any
work. Factsheet #15 Fish Protection provides
more detailed information.
10. When water is present in the channel, measures
Concrete
must be implemented to ensure that contaminated
If any concrete, cast-in-place concrete, or grouting water does not leave the work site. Factsheet
works are to be undertaken, a high potential exists for #16 Water Quality Protection Measures provides
concrete and/or concrete leachate to enter a watercourse. more detailed information.
Concrete, concrete leachate, grout and other uncured 11. Leave riparian vegetation along the banks of the
concrete substances (e.g. concrete bags for headwall watercourse.
construction) are deleterious and highly toxic to fish and 12. All disturbed areas must be re-graded and
other aquatic organisms. stabilized by seeding or re-vegetating the riparian
area upon completion. This helps to prevent
To perform any concrete-related works, all water must surface erosion and/or sedimentation of the
be completely isolated prior to the commencement of watercourse.
any instream works. In addition, measures must be taken
to prevent the incidence of concrete from entering a
watercourse, ravine or storm sewer system for a minimum
of 72 hours after the works have been completed. This is
to ensure that the concrete has fully cured.

Page 3 of 4
Figure 1

Content Copyright 2009 Whatcom Conservation District Users of this Factsheet are responsible for obtaining and following
Published with support from the Centennial Clean Water Fund under the authority of the
WA State Dept. of Ecology
Page 4 of 4 all appropriate permits and following all laws and regulations.