Barrier Assessment Protocol

The Barrier Assessment Protocol is an assessment of existing barriers or potential barriers to fish and/or beaver movement within the valley bottom. The protocol is based on stream crossing forms developed by the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP). This protocol is specifically utilized in LTPBR (Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration) monitoring to assess how barriers may impact the migration and movement of these organisms throughout the drainage network.

Protocol Summary

Attribute	Value
Name	Barrier Assessment Protocol
Status	Experimental Grade
Version	1.0
XML URL	https://github.com/Riverscapes/RiverscapesXML/blob/master/QRiS/protocols/barrier_assessment_protocol.xml
Citation	Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership et al. 2025. Barrier Assessment Protocol. Prepared by Anabranch Solutions.
Authors	Zach Burgert, Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership

How to Use

Adding this protocol to your QRiS project allows you to map barrier locations and record key features. This includes:

• Crossing Information: This section captures contextual details about the barrier, such as its type (e.g., culvert, ford, bridge, etc.), the crossing conditions at the site, and the overall barrier conditions (e.g., evidence of scour, riparian vegetation, constriction, etc.).
• Outlet Assessment: Assessment of the downstream end of the barrier including its outlet type, physical condition, and dimensions (e.g., height, width, etc).
• Inlet Assessment: Assessment of the upstream end of the barrier including its outlet type, physical condition, and dimensions (e.g., height, width, etc).
• Additional Conditions: Record other important observations about the barrier such as slope, substrate & flow conditions, sediment build-up, etc.

Layers

Attribute	Type	Description
Crossing Information	Point	contextual information of crossing or barrier
Outlet Assessment	Point	evaluation of crossing or barrier outlet
Inlet Assessment	Point	evaluation of crossing or barrier inlet
Aditional Condtions	Point	additional information about crossing not recorded in crossing information, outlet assessment, or inlet assessment layers

Layer Attributes

Crossing Information

Field	Description	Values
Crossing Type	type of crossing	Bridge Culvert Multiple culvert Ford No Crossing Removed Crossing Buried Stream Inaccessible Partially Inaccessible No Upstream Channel Bridge Adequate
Flow Condition	assessment of flow stage when survey was conducted	No Flow Typical Low Flow Moderate High
Crossing Condition	condition of crossing when survey was conducted	Ok Poor New Unknown Failing
Flow Alignment	alignment of crossing with stream flow direction	Flow-Aligned Skewed
Constriction	width of crossing in relation to channel	Severe Moderate Spans Bankfull Channel Spans Full Channel
Tailwater Scour Pool	presence and size of downstream scour pool	None Small Large
Inlet Scour Pool	presence and size of upstream scour pool	None Small Large
Vegetation Cover	density of riparian vegetation cover near crossing	Low Medium High

Outlet Assessment

Field	Description	Values
Structure Material	type of construction material of outlet	Metal Concrete Plastic Wood Rock/Stone Fiberglass Combination
Outlet Armoring	determines if outlet is augmented with material to prevent erosion (e.g., riprap)	yes/no
Outlet Grade	slope of outlet in relation to channel	At Stream Grade Free Fall Cascade Free Fall onto Cascade Clogged/ Collapsed/ Submerged Unknown
Undermining	determines if scour or erosion is occuring beneath the outlet	yes/no

Inlet Assessment

Field	Description	Values
Structure Material	type of construction material of inlet	Metal Concrete Plastic Wood Rock/Stone Fiberglass Combination
Inlet Armoring	determines if inlet is augmented with material to prevent erosion (e.g., riprap)	yes/no
Inlet Grade	slope of inlet in relation to channel	At Stream Grade Free Fall Cascade Free Fall onto Cascade Clogged/ Collapsed/ Submerged Unknown
Inlet Type	type of inlet	Projecting Headwall Wingwalls Headwall and Wingwalls Mitered to Slope Other None
Undermining	determines if scour or erosion is occuring beneath the intlet	yes/no

Additional Conditions

Field	Description	Values
Internal Structures	type of internal structures within barrier/crossing	None Baffles/Weirs Supports Other
Stream Substrate Type	type of substrate on river bed	None Silt Sand Gravel Cobble Boulder Bedrock Organic Material Unknown
Structure Substrate Type	type of substrate within barrier/crossing	None Silt Sand Gravel Cobble Boulder Bedrock Organic Material Unknown
Structure Substrate Coverage	percentage of barrier/crossing bottom covered by substrate	None 25% 50% 75% 100% Unknown
Physical Barriers	determines if barrier/crossing is blocked or inhibited	None Debris/ Sediment/ Rock Deformation Free Fall Fencing Dry Other
Barrier Severity	determines the severity of blockage to barrier/crossing	None Minor Moderate Severe
Water Depth Matches Stream	compares the water depth of channel to water depth of barrier/crossing	Yes No-Shallower No-Deeper Unknown Dry Dry-Stream Also Dry
Water Velocity Matches Stream	compares the water veloity of channel to water velocity of barrier/crossing	Yes No-Faster No-Slower Unknown Dry Dry-Stream Also Dry
Dry Passage through Structure	determines if passage through barrier/crossing is possible when dry	Yes No Unknown