Dam you: Bothersome beaver weakening Washington bridge

A road crew in Washington state has had it with a beaver that persists in building a dam under a bridge. Crews have removed a beaver dam three times since August. Each time the beaver rebuilds it near Port Orchard, on the west side of Puget Sound, across from Seattle. “It’s costing us a lot of time to keep sending our people out to haul away all the wood, brush and mud,” Kitsap County Roads Superintendent Jacques Dean said. “We’ve decided we need to catch the animal.”

They’re busy all the time, I appreciate that about the animals. But at some point what they’re doing is compromising public safety, and we can’t let that happen.

Kitsap County Roads Superintendent Jacques Dean

One was as large as 40 feet long and 3 feet high. Kitsap County Roads Superintendent Jacques Dean told KOMO News that he appreciates how industrious the animals are, but the water threatens to undermine bridge support structures. The county decided to spend $15,000 to hire a beaver trapper. In the long run, that investment is expected to save the county money in repair work and potentially accidents. Higher pressure water flowing downstream of the dam is undermining an abutment that supports the bridge. The structure is not at immediate risk of failure but eventually repairs may be necessary. Water also caused damage beneath the road surface, which required repair work in the past. Beneath the Long Lake Road bridge, a large metal beaver trap can be seen along the river bank. The usual practice is to euthanise nuisance beavers. The Dept. of Agriculture says beavers often don’t survive relocation.

Odd News beaver