SMALL HYDRAULIC INFRASTRUCTURES, MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: ASSESSMENT OF EXISTING CULVERT USING HY-8 SOFTWARE

This is a comprehensive and critical assessment of the Trans disciplinary literature on culvert construction and its effects on stream hydrology and geomorphology, as well as on stream ecosystems and biota. Engineers define a culvert as a structure, often of the tunnel kind, that transports a stream or open drain from one side of a road, railroad, or other obstruction to the other. In reality, culverts are intricate hydraulic structures whose effects on stream ecosystems must be examined and comprehended prior to their construction. The purpose of this research is to analyze and explain contemporary information about the deleterious impacts of culverts on the movement of freshwater biota, namely fish, and whole stream ecosystems. We discuss the findings of several researches demonstrating that incorrectly built culverts act as obstacles for migratory animals and can have severe ecological repercussions (mainly disturbances to fish life history). In addition, we pay attention to various culvert alteration techniques that boost their possibility for creatures and reduce their environmental consequences. The second objective of this review is to emphasize that the knowledge and professional experience of biologists and ecologists must be integrated with that of river managers, river engineers, hydraulic engineers, hydrologists, and geomorphologists in order to design culverts that preserve the natural properties of streams.