Location of beaver dam in front of a a culvert under Wells Ave. (photo: Theo Younkin)
A controversial City plan to remove a beaver dam and hut from the Wells Avenue culvert has incentivized some to speak out.
Since 2022, increased beaver activity in the area has sparked widespread flooding, resulting in devastating consequences for residents and local businesses.
Mike Landau, Chairman of the 210 Nahanton Woods Condominium Association, said that the flooding has caused extreme damage to the property’s conservation land.
“If living trees are sitting too long in standing water, they die,” he said. “We used to have very rich, full forest, and now … trees have already died.”
Other properties have also been significantly impacted. The Newton Community Farm, located close to the dam, says that it lost about 10% of its crops in 2023 due to damage from flooding.
Additionally, in a statement to Fig City News, Newton Director of Utilities Thomas Fitzgerald said that the dam and hut are located directly above a City sewer hole, impeding access for utility maintenance.
Fitzgerald said that the common practice in Massachusetts is to trap and euthanize beavers that damage municipal infrastructure. While other options were considered, he said that environmental factors would make their implementation challenging.
“We brought in a consultant from the Beaver Institute for their expert opinion on whether we could mitigate the flooding issue above the sewer manhole while allowing the beavers to remain at the site,” he said. “[The experts] determined that the beavers would need a minimum of 3 feet of water to survive through the winter. Unfortunately, the 3 feet of water would still cover the sewer manhole and impact flooding.”
He added, “We will consult with the City’s Conservation staff to determine our next steps to possibly dismantle the dam to alleviate the…