Control of Beaver Flooding at Restoration Projects

This technical note describes alternatives to control undesirable flooding caused by beavers at wetland restoration projects. Beaver dams are a natural part of the North American landscape, and in some situations beavers have been deliberately re-introduced to augment the restoration process. In other cases, however, beaver damming can cause flooding that is detrimental to restoration project objectives. This unwanted flooding caused by beavers can often be prevented or controlled by structures designed to 1 prevent the damming of water control structures, spiliways, and road culverts, 2 regulate water levels upstream of a beaver dam, and 3 both prevent damming and regulate water levels. This technical note describes various alternatives that can be applied separately or in combination to accomplish these objectives.