The Beaver Dam near Columbus Avenue in New London has broken twice in the past 3 months, sending boggy water over Route 103A into Herrick Cove. The high flow washed a significant amount of sediment from the roadside and began to undermine the road surface. This water contains much phosphorus, wetland algae and bacteria in sediment and organic debris/material from the beavers.
As good as beavers are in engineering, they have been building a dam in the culvert under Columbus Avenue. That is a mistake on their part, because the smooth surface of the culvert does not allow a good footing for their structure. In fact, there is more than one beaver dam in that area. The other beaver dam structure, which is more conventional, has held the onslaught of extra water and its accompanying pressure.
The situation is complicated by man-made structures resulting from the interstate’s (Route 89) construction and its physical affect on the wetlands along Columbus Avenue. The beaver structures interplay with the man-made ones, resulting in conflicting results.
Robert Wood of LSPA has been working with New London officials to come up with a solution. Even though the beavers may be removed, they always seem to return. Part of the solution may be a “beaver pipe” installation. These pipes allow water to bypass the structures, thereby limiting the level of water retention. Other devices will prevent the beavers from building inside the culvert.
Date published on web site:
09-25-2008
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