In the summer of 1995, a devastating flood swept through Madison County, Virginia, and left streams like Kinsey Run in need of restoration. At the time, state and federal resource managers thought it best to restructure the steam using stone siding along the banks (known as riprap) and add two culverts for fish to travel under a road crossing.

But as it would turn out, this solution brought on new and unexpected consequences.

Over time, the riprap kept vegetation from growing in along the banks and the new trapezoidal shape of the stream caused erosion issues. The height of the culverts from the water also made it difficult for fish like brook trout to move through Kinsey Run.

“They could only cross during high tide events,” said Bryan Hoffman, deputy director for Friends of the Rappahannock.

At the foothill of the Shenandoah Mountains, Kinsey Run provides important habitat for brook trout migrating to spawning grounds upstream. The native fish is popular among anglers and requires clean, cool habitat to survive—plus unobstructed migration routes.

In 2016, Friends of the Rappahannock took on the job of repairing a degraded section of Kinsey Run and improving fish passage. Working with the engineering firm Ecosystem Services, the nonprofit restored 808 linear feet of the stream to natural habitat, removing the riprap and planting a 30-foot forest buffer along the banks. Next, the partners removed the two culverts and built a new bridge so that fish could easily pass through Kinsey Run.

The result has been nearly 3 extra miles of upstream habitat that brook trout are able to access and a more natural streambank to support Kinsey Run’s recovery.

“The state [of Virginia] documented brook trout where they hadn’t previously, which is a success,” Hoffman said.

The two removed culverts were too far from the water to allow fish to consistently pass through. (Photo courtesy Bryan Hoffman/Friends of the Rappahannock) A new bridge was installed to allow cars to pass over the stream and fish to swim through it. (Photo courtesy Bryan Hoffman/Friends of the Rappahannock)

Over $65,000 in matching funds supported the project, from partners including Trout Unlimited, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Virginia Environmental Endowment, Patagonia, Ecosystem Services and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

However, the majority of the project’s funding came from a Chesapeake Bay Small Watershed Grant, which is a program supported by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program Office.

Signed in 2014, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement—which is the document guiding the work of the Chesapeake Bay Program—included a Fish Passage Outcome to open up 132 miles of fish migration routes every two years. State and federal agencies work with local groups like Friends on the Rappahannock to remove and replace blockages—from small culverts to large dams—and install mechanisms to help fish pass when dams can’t be removed.

Partners doing this work have been largely successful, meeting that goal nearly every two years and restoring a whopping 1,318 miles for fish passage during 2018-2019.

The Watershed Agreement is currently being revised as many of the Agreement’s outcomes are nearing a 2025 deadline. But the fish passage work is likely to continue in the new Agreement and may include an even higher target for fish passage miles opened.

Visit the Chesapeake Bay Program website throughout the year to stay up-to-date on the process to revise the Watershed Agreement.