Fish Ladder & Silt Excluder

FISH LADDER

The survival of many fish species depends on migrations up and down rivers. Among
anadromous fish such as salmon, shad, and sturgeon, downstream migration is a
feature of early life stages, while upstream migration is a feature of adult life. River
obstructions such as dams, culverts, and waterfalls have the potential to slow or stop
fish migration. Indeed, these impediments to fish migration are often implicated in the
decline of certain fish stocks.

Figure No: 01 Fish Ladder

A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass or fish steps, is a structure on or
around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate
diadromous fishes' natural migration. Most fishways enable fish to pass around the
barriers by swimming and leaping up a series of relatively low steps (hence the term
ladder) into the waters on the other side. The velocity of water falling over the steps has
to be great enough to attract the fish to the ladder, but it cannot be so great that it
washes fish back downstream or exhausts them to the point of inability to continue their
journey upriver. . Designs vary depending on the obstruction, river flow, and species of
fish affected, but the general principle is the same for all fish ladders.

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Types of fish ladders

There are five basic types of fish ladders. All of these examples can be found around
the United States, but some are used on large waterways more often than others.

 Pool-Weir
 Vertical Slot
 Denil/baffle
 Steeppass
 Natural Bypasses
Pool-Weir:
This type of fish way design is used most often at man-made passageways and is the
oldest type of fish ladder shown in figures no 02. It uses a series of small dams and
pools of regular length to create a long, sloping channel for fish to travel around the
obstruction. The channel acts as a fixed lock to gradually step down the water level; to
head upstream, fish must jump over from box to box in the ladder.

Figure No: 02 Pool-Weir

Vertical Slot:
The vertical slot design makes use of large narrow slots to control water flow. It is more
complicated than the pool-weir type. however, it allows the water to flow at a constant
rate. This allows fish to swim upstream without leaping over an obstacle. Vertical-slot

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fish passages also tend to handle reasonably well the seasonal fluctuation in water
levels on each side of the barrier. Recent studies suggest that navigation locks have a
potential to be operated as vertical slot fish ways to provide increased access for a
range of biota, including poor swimmers.

Figure No: 03 Vertical Slot

Denil/baffle:
The denil fish way uses devices that regulate the flow of water. This then acts like a set
of rapids with various water speeds. Therefore, this design can be used by a variety of
fish species. It uses a series of symmetrical close-spaced baffles in a channel to
redirect the flow of water, allowing fish to swim around the barrier. Baffle fish ways need
not have resting areas, although pools can be included to provide a resting area or to
reduce the velocity of the flow.

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Such fish ways can be built with switchbacks to minimize the space needed for their
construction. Baffles come in variety of designs. The original design for a Denil fish way
was developed in 1909 by a Belgian scientist, G. Denil; it has since been adjusted and
adapted in many ways. The Alaskan Steeppass, for example, is a modular prefabricated
Denil-fishway originally designed for remote areas of Alaska shown in figure no 04.

Figure No: 04 Denil-fishway

Steeppass:
The steeppass fishway design is similar to that of the denil. However, steeppass
fishways are typically narrower than denil fishways shown in figure no 05.

Figure No: 05 Steeppass

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Natural Bypasses:
Natural bypasses make use of materials found in nature and are intended to allow fish
to bypass barriers.

Figure No: 06 Natural bypasses

Why do we need fish ladders?

It has been found that entire fish species are either close to extinction or totally extinct
because they are unable to reproduce. Some species of fish must migrate upstream to
find a suitable place to spawn, and many man-made obstacles make that virtually
impossible. Fish ladders allow fish to circumvent this problem and encourage natural
reproduction.

Effectiveness
Fish ladders have a mixed record of effectiveness. They vary in effectiveness for
different types of species, with one study showing that only three percent of American
Shad make it through all the fish ladders on the way to their spawning ground.
Effectiveness depends on the fish species' swimming ability, and how the fish moves up
and downstream. A fish passage that is designed to allow fish to pass upstream may
not allow passage downstream, for instance. Fish passages do not always work.
However, not including any fish passage at all ensures that affected species cannot
migrate.

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Fish ladder used in Pakistan:

Taunsa Barrage:

Taunsa Barrage is a barrage on the River Indus in Taunsa Tehsil of Dera Ghazi Khan
Punjab province of Pakistan. It is situated 20 kilometres (12 mi) southeast of Taunsa
Sharif and 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Kot Addu. This barrage controls water flow in the
River Indus for irrigation and flood control purposes. Taunsa Barrage was designated a
Ramsar site on 22 March 1996

This barrage serves 2.351 million acres (951,400 hectares) besides diverting flows from
Indus River to the Chenab River through Taunsa Panjnad (TP) Link Canal. The barrage
also serves as an arterial road bridge, a railway bridge, and crossing for gas and oil
pipelines, telephone line and extra high voltage (EHV) transmission lines.

Taunsa Barrage was completed in 1958. The canal system fed by the Barrage initially
consisted of Muzaffargarh and Dera Ghazi (DG) Khan canals. The former was
completed in 1960 and is in operation since then, while the latter although opened in
1958 continued to remain under construction in some later years. TP Link canal was
added in 1970, as a component work of the Indus Basin Project

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Fish Ladder:

Note:

Fish ladder is also used in Chashma Barrage.

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Silt Excluder
Silt excluder is a device by which silt is excluded from water entering the canal. It is
constructed in the bed in th front of head regulator.

Objective:

The object is to remove silt that has entered in the stilling basin through scouring
sluices.

Location:

Silt Excluder: The silt excluder is located on the u/s of diversion weir and in front of the
head regulator.

Note:

 If near head regulator, silt will be in suspension

 If too far away than result in silting of canal

Principle of Silt Excluder:

The fundamental principle on which a silt control device is acts lies in the fact that in
flowing stream carrying silt in suspension, the concentration of silt charge in the lower
layer is greater than the upper once. Hence the device is so designed that the top and
bottom layers are separated without any disturbance. The top water is led towards the
canal while the bottom water containing the high silt charge is wasted.

Design Considerations:

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 Silt excluder consists of a number under tunnels resting on the floor pocket. Top
floor of the tunnel is at the level of sill of the head regulator.
 Various tunnels of different lengths are made. The tunnel near the head regulator
is of same length of head regulator and successive tunnels towards the divide
wall are short. Velocity near the silt laden water is disposed downstream through
tunnels and under sluices.
 Silt excluder is designed such that the top and bottom layers of flow are
separated with the least possible disturbance.
 No of tunnels resting on the floor of the pocket of different lengths
 The tunnel near the head regulator being of same length as that of the width of
head regulator - tunnel of different length.
 Capacity of tunnel is about 20% of canal discharge
 Minimum velocity 2 to 3 m/s to avoid deposition in tunnel is kept the same as sill
level of head regulator
 Usually 4-6 tunnels of silt excluder are provided.
 2-3 bays of under sluice are covered with tunnel.
 From discharge and scouring velocity the total waterway required for under water
tunnels can be determined.

Silt Excluder In Pakistan

 Khanki Barrage
 Kalabagh Barrage

Khanki Barrage:

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Explanation:

The head for free flow was 4.78 m and total loss throughout the tunnels was varies from
0.44 m to 0.54 m against the average inlet velocity of 1.70 m/s as closely to SHARC
computed velocity of 1.587 m/s. According to proposed design sediment size of 0.4 mm
(i.e. Sand of medium size) is completely excluded by the silt excluder with the settling
velocity of 0.0645 m/s. The efficiency of excluder varies from 93.5 % to 95.2% against
90 % of extraction ratio. This indicates that the construction of silt excluder is efficient in
reducing the sediment entry into the canal or also economical for cost purpose.

Kalabagh Barrage:

In the Kalabagh barrage the silt excluder covers the four bays.

Impact of Silt Excluder on Sediment Management of an Irrigation Canal: A Case Study

of D.G. Khan Canal, Pakistan

This study estimates the sediment transport capacity of D.G. Khan Canal and analyses
the impact of silt excluder on the sediment management of the canal. The average
sediment load entering into the D.G. Khan Canal before the silt excluder’s intervention
was about 258 ppm which is 58% more than the sediment transport capacity of the
canal (163 ppm). However, the post-intervention average sediment load observed
during 2006–2009 was 183 ppm which indicates that the intervention of silt excluder has
reduced the sediment entry in the canal.

References:
 http://www.appropedia.org/Fish_ladder
 "What is a Fish Ladder?". Michigan: Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Retrieved 27 April 2012.
 http://www.wapda.gov.pk/index.php/projects/hydro-
power/operational/chashma/item/354-chashma-barrage
 https://www.google.com.pk/search?q=pool+weir+fish+ladder&source=lnms&tbm
=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiAt_-
fy8XSAhXLXBoKHWYtCdUQ_AUICCgB&biw=1252&bih=575#imgrc=YoBt-
el8isNtxM:
 https://www.google.com.pk/search?q=%EF%81%B6%09Denil/baffle+fish+ladder
&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3usi8z8XSAhUDbRQKHXNsC3
YQ_AUICCgB&biw=1252&bih=575#imgrc=_
 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13369-013-0641-y
 https://books.google.com.pk/books?id=yVwrv9tF8AUC&pg=PA587&lpg=PA587&
dq=silt+excluder&source=bl&ots=BUoVb9ancK&sig=_u11bbxMGyPzf7Q

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