TAUNTON, Mass. — Environmentalists say early results from a survey of culverts and other river and stream crossings around New England show many could pose dangers to fish and wildlife.
Teams of volunteers have inspected about 6,000 culverts and found that only about 15 percent meet standards recently adopted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Nearly half posed moderate or severe barriers to fish or other animals trying to get through the culverts.
Culvert failures can also lead to serious road flooding.
Scott Jackson, a wildlife biologist at the University of Massachusetts extension, estimates there are at least 250,000 river and stream crossings in New England — some built a century ago or more. He says the purpose of the survey is to determine which are most in need of replacement.
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