Facilitating Sustainable Fishery in the Potomac River with Innovative Hydraulics

Abstract

Facilitating Sustainable Fishery in the Potomac River with Innovative HydraulicsAbstractRestoration of migratory fish populations to maintain a sustainable fishery often is a function of the effectiveness of fish passage systems at manmade river obstructions. This paper presents a novel design of a fish passage structure for low head dams where conventional type fishways are undesirable or impractical. The hydraulic physical modeling yielded a unique design of a notch in the dam crest combined with three labyrinth (W-shaped) weirs. The notch provides adequate water depth, and the weirs dissipate the flow energy to provide fish with low velocities for passage. For American shad (Alosa sapidissima), the water depth is adequate at minimum river flows, and water velocities are less than the fish burst speeds. The structure complies with the maximum allowable withdrawal at no flow condition over the dam. Weirs provide side openings and center attraction flow. This design is suitable for other low head dams with similar characteristics.This paper provides details on devising an innovative fish passage structure on the Little Falls dam (Potomac River). A unique notch structure in the dam crest provides adequate depth and low flow velocities for the passage of American shad and other migratory fish species.SpeakerOdeh, MufeedPresentation time13:50:0014:10:00Session time13:30:0015:00:00SessionFrom Fish Passage Design to Ocean Discharges: Going CoastalSession locationRoom S402a - Level 4TopicIntermediate Level, Watershed Management, Water Quality, and GroundwaterTopicIntermediate Level, Watershed Management, Water Quality, and GroundwaterAuthor(s)Odeh, MufeedAuthor(s)M. Odeh ¹; M. Odeh ¹ ;Author affiliation(s)Atkins ¹;SourceProceedings of the Water Environment FederationDocument typeConference PaperPublisherWater Environment FederationPrint publication date Oct 2023DOI10.2175/193864718825159220Volume / Issue Content sourceWEFTECCopyright2023Word count11