California replaced a fish-blocking pipe on Fort Goff Creek with a bridge in 2014; later monitoring found 64 Chinook salmon nests upstream

Culverts, the metal or concrete pipes used to channel streams underneath roads, are a common, if unglamorous, feature of rural infrastructure. According to a 2020 NOAA Fisheries article, the culvert on Fort Goff Creek, a tributary of California’s Klamath River, had been preventing migrating salmon and steelhead from passing through for decades.

This was due to the steep slope and fast-flowing water, both barriers to the fish swimming through. In 2014, Caltrans removed the culvert and replaced it with a 60-foot bridge. During the first winter after construction was completed, biologists counted 64 nests (redds) of Chinook salmon in the stretch of stream that had been inaccessible for generations.

The pipe that stood in the way


While not dramatic in itself, the culvert was an issue, but the 15ft diameter corrugated steel pipe that was created decades ago was the primary problem.The 15-foot-diameter corrugated steel pipe, installed decades earlier, was the primary barrier. It allowed the highway to cross over the creek at low cost. However, it was identified by Caltrans as one of their highest priority barriers to fish passage. In 2014, the culvert was replaced with a bridge made from precast concrete. It allows the stream to flow naturally.

Fort Goff is notable not only due to its scale. Chinook salmon only need a short period of time to spawn in the newly restored habitat. This rapid response gives a real example of pre- and post-data, which can be hard to come by within conservation projects.

Culverts: the barrier nobody talks about

The first thing that comes to mind when people think of salmon decline is usually dams, a worldwide issue. A decade after the Fort Goff project, in 2024, the four dams on the Klamath River were removed as part of the largest dam removal project in U.S. history, according to a 2024 CDA Press article. Those hydroelectric dams had blocked fish from more than 400 miles of habitat since the early 1900s.

However, culverts are an equally significant issue. A 2024 U.S. Geological Survey synthesis titled “Effects of Culverts on Habitat Connectivity in Streams—A Science Synthesis to Inform National Environmental Policy Act Analyses,” published in Scientific Investigations Report, found that although the impacts of dams on riverine ecosystems are well understood, smaller road crossings such as culverts are much more prevalent and result in significant disruption to streams. They cause fragmentation of the cold water refuge areas and prevent fish from gaining access to vital habitat.

A related 2013 mapping study titled “Restoring aquatic ecosystem connectivity requires expanding inventories of both dams and road crossings,” published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, reached a similar conclusion, The researchers found that when they mapped all obstructions in the watersheds, including hydro dams and small road culverts, the number of small crossing culverts was very prevalent. They caused as much river fragmentation as the large dams.

Why a Siskiyou County backroad matters

This is not an issue specific to California. The USGS review also mentions that there are plenty of small culverts that are incorrectly sized and positioned, meaning they’re a major issue underneath roads across the country. When you multiply the issue of Fort Goff by the thousands of similar crossings throughout the Pacific Northwest, New England, and the Great Lakes, it’s a real issue that can be solved across the nation without needing to remove dams.

The real takeaway

Fort Goff Creek will not feature in any climate documentaries. However, it is a good example of how sometimes you do not need to create large, expensive, or controversial environmental projects to make a difference. Sometimes all you need to do is identify the pipe in the way and build around it.