NAACC Culvert Assessments
What is a culvert?
A culvert is a structure that water generally passes through under a road. There are a variety of different culvert/bridge shapes. They are made up of various materials such as concrete, plastic and metal.
What does NAACC stand for?
NAACC stands for North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative. This is a network of various state and federal organizations that focus on transportation and conservation/natural resources that span over 13 states.
The UDRCC Crew earns their NAAC certification each year, which allows them to assess and input the data for culverts and bridges in the watershed.
Why is assessing culverts important?
Assessing culverts is important for various reasons. One being fish passage, if a fish or other organisms cannot pass through a culvert then it creates a barrier and will need to be fixed to make it passable. Another reason to assess culverts is for safety, if a culvert is failing then it becomes a safety issue. If a culvert is deteriorating then the structure becomes compromised and it could collapse. Once the data is collected and submitted on NAACC then organizations have access to the data and can determine the best next course of action.
These are just a few examples of the importance of assessing culverts/bridges throughout the watershed.
How is the UDRCC helping?
The crew has been working hard to assess culverts/bridges throughout the Upper Delaware River. They assess the culvert by recording the shape, measurements, water velocity, water depth and more to complete the data form and taking pictures for each culvert/bridge.
The UDRCC Crew evaluated over 1000 culverts in 2022
The UDRCC Crew evaluated over 300 culverts in 2023