Perched culvert at Spring Creek Project Site. - Photo by Paul Johnson, NRCS

Construction at Spring Creek Project Site. Douglas County Wisconsin. - Photo by Paul Johnson NRCS

Completed fish ladder/step pools at Spring Creek Project Site. - Photo by Paul Johnson, NRCS

For decades a large culvert railroad crossing has blocked fish passage for native brook trout on Spring Creek in Douglas County, Wisconsin.  The private landowner on the downstream side of the culvert recognized this problem and contacted the county Land Conservation Department (LCD). 

Working together, agency partners including the LCD, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Ashland Fishery Resources Office worked together to find a solution to the problem. 

The railroad had no plans to replace the culvert due to the logistics and enormous cost associated with replacing the intact and stable culvert.  The solution was the creation of a series of step pools which created a ladder which the fish could climb in order to enter the culvert.  The upper step of the ladder was also designed to raise the depth of water inside the culvert to allow fish passage through the pipe.

The design consisted of six structures or “steps” which were constructed of rock and light gage sheet pile.  Large boulders were the final component of the steps and were used to stabilize the riffles and create resting areas on the top and downstream slopes of each structure. 

The step immediately below the culvert was designed to provide scour protection for the culvert outflow.  These structures created a series of pools and riffles which now provide access for brook trout and other aquatic species to access the reaches of Spring Creek above the railroad crossing. 

Brook trout are an important recreational fishing species in Spring Creek.  This project will provide additional fish access to neighboring habitat in order to improve populations in these areas. 

During construction brook trout were already identified moving through the step pools.  The landowner of the project site spends many hours observing the stream and other wildlife habitat on the property.  He reports fish are consistently present, moving through the fish ladder and utilizing the created habitat.  Early estimates indicate the vast majority of the fish will survive the journey up the ladder and through the culvert but a few may end up in the frying pan.