Fish Upstream Passage through Gauging Stations: Experiences with Iberian Barbel in Flat-V Weirs

The monitoring of river discharge is vital for the correct management of water resources. Flat-V gauging weirs are facilities used worldwide for measuring discharge. These structures consist of a small weir with a triangular cross-section and a flat “V”-shaped notch. Their extensive use is a consequ...

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Main Authors: Francisco Javier Sanz-Ronda, Francisco Javier Bravo-Córdoba, Ana García-Vega, Jorge Valbuena-Castro, Andrés Martínez-de-Azagra, Juan Francisco Fuentes-Pérez
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-12-01
Series:Fishes
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/6/4/81
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author Francisco Javier Sanz-Ronda
Francisco Javier Bravo-Córdoba
Ana García-Vega
Jorge Valbuena-Castro
Andrés Martínez-de-Azagra
Juan Francisco Fuentes-Pérez
author_facet Francisco Javier Sanz-Ronda
Francisco Javier Bravo-Córdoba
Ana García-Vega
Jorge Valbuena-Castro
Andrés Martínez-de-Azagra
Juan Francisco Fuentes-Pérez
author_sort Francisco Javier Sanz-Ronda
collection DOAJ
description The monitoring of river discharge is vital for the correct management of water resources. Flat-V gauging weirs are facilities used worldwide for measuring discharge. These structures consist of a small weir with a triangular cross-section and a flat “V”-shaped notch. Their extensive use is a consequence of their utility in the measurement of both low and high flow conditions. However, depending on their size, local morphology and river discharge can act as full or partial hydraulic barriers to fish migration. To address this concern, the present work studies fish passage performance over flat-V weirs considering their hydraulic performance. For this, radio-tracking and video-monitoring observations were combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models in two flat-V weirs, using Iberian barbel (<i>Luciobarbus bocagei</i>) as the target species. Results showed that fish passage is conditioned by both hydraulic and behavioral processes, providing evidence for scenarios in which flat-V weirs may act as full or partial barriers to upstream movements. For the studied flat-V weirs, a discharge range of 0.27–8 m<sup>3</sup>/s, with a water drop difference between upstream and downstream water levels lower than 0.7 m and a depth downstream of the weir of higher than 0.3 m can be considered an effective passage situation for barbels. These findings are of interest for quantifying flat-V weir impacts, for engineering applications and for establishing managing or retrofitting actions when required.
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spelling doaj.art-97d9ff678a54494c8d2e75dba1f68bf42023-11-23T08:15:13ZengMDPI AGFishes2410-38882021-12-01648110.3390/fishes6040081Fish Upstream Passage through Gauging Stations: Experiences with Iberian Barbel in Flat-V WeirsFrancisco Javier Sanz-Ronda0Francisco Javier Bravo-Córdoba1Ana García-Vega2Jorge Valbuena-Castro3Andrés Martínez-de-Azagra4Juan Francisco Fuentes-Pérez5GEA Ecohidráulica, Department of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering, ETSIIAA, University of Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, Campus La Yutera, 34004 Palencia, SpainCentro Tecnológico Agrario y Agroalimentario Itagra.ct, Avenida de Madrid 44, Campus La Yutera, 34004 Palencia, SpainCentro Tecnológico Agrario y Agroalimentario Itagra.ct, Avenida de Madrid 44, Campus La Yutera, 34004 Palencia, SpainGEA Ecohidráulica, Department of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering, ETSIIAA, University of Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, Campus La Yutera, 34004 Palencia, SpainGEA Ecohidráulica, Department of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering, ETSIIAA, University of Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, Campus La Yutera, 34004 Palencia, SpainGEA Ecohidráulica, Department of Agriculture and Forestry Engineering, ETSIIAA, University of Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, Campus La Yutera, 34004 Palencia, SpainThe monitoring of river discharge is vital for the correct management of water resources. Flat-V gauging weirs are facilities used worldwide for measuring discharge. These structures consist of a small weir with a triangular cross-section and a flat “V”-shaped notch. Their extensive use is a consequence of their utility in the measurement of both low and high flow conditions. However, depending on their size, local morphology and river discharge can act as full or partial hydraulic barriers to fish migration. To address this concern, the present work studies fish passage performance over flat-V weirs considering their hydraulic performance. For this, radio-tracking and video-monitoring observations were combined with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models in two flat-V weirs, using Iberian barbel (<i>Luciobarbus bocagei</i>) as the target species. Results showed that fish passage is conditioned by both hydraulic and behavioral processes, providing evidence for scenarios in which flat-V weirs may act as full or partial barriers to upstream movements. For the studied flat-V weirs, a discharge range of 0.27–8 m<sup>3</sup>/s, with a water drop difference between upstream and downstream water levels lower than 0.7 m and a depth downstream of the weir of higher than 0.3 m can be considered an effective passage situation for barbels. These findings are of interest for quantifying flat-V weir impacts, for engineering applications and for establishing managing or retrofitting actions when required.https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/6/4/81gauging weirsimpactswimming performancehydraulic barriers
spellingShingle Francisco Javier Sanz-Ronda
Francisco Javier Bravo-Córdoba
Ana García-Vega
Jorge Valbuena-Castro
Andrés Martínez-de-Azagra
Juan Francisco Fuentes-Pérez
Fish Upstream Passage through Gauging Stations: Experiences with Iberian Barbel in Flat-V Weirs
Fishes
gauging weirs
impact
swimming performance
hydraulic barriers
title Fish Upstream Passage through Gauging Stations: Experiences with Iberian Barbel in Flat-V Weirs
title_full Fish Upstream Passage through Gauging Stations: Experiences with Iberian Barbel in Flat-V Weirs
title_fullStr Fish Upstream Passage through Gauging Stations: Experiences with Iberian Barbel in Flat-V Weirs
title_full_unstemmed Fish Upstream Passage through Gauging Stations: Experiences with Iberian Barbel in Flat-V Weirs
title_short Fish Upstream Passage through Gauging Stations: Experiences with Iberian Barbel in Flat-V Weirs
title_sort fish upstream passage through gauging stations experiences with iberian barbel in flat v weirs
topic gauging weirs
impact
swimming performance
hydraulic barriers
url https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/6/4/81
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