RM of LUMSDEN — The topic of beaver dam removal came up at an RM of Lumsden council meeting recently.
After reading information from the Water Security Agency (WSA) on removing beaver dams for the first time, the RM of Lumsden's Reeve, Kent Farago, said, "I didn't realize people removing it were responsible for any damage because of the removal."
WSA's flyer on Beaver Dam Removal says, "Beaver dams need to be breached periodically to protect, maintain or construct infrastructure, or to avoid the flooding of private and public land." It says that removal needs to be done to minimize the impact on fish, wildlife, the shoreline and water quality. The improper removal of dams can remove water from ponds upstream, leave fish stranded, release sediment, and cause downstream flooding and other damage. However, dams can also have benefits, such as reducing erosion and sediment transport while increasing habitat for waterfowl and fish.
At the end of the discussion, Council touched on a disagreement between two neighbours over a dam removal. One neighbour will be removing part of a dam on his property but not the neighbouring property. Councilor John Langford said the RM provided the information as a guideline to the ratepayer. "...so he's doing it the right way. I think it was a good plan," said Langford.
The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) administers the Beaver Control Program in Saskatchewan and provides financial assistance for RM's to control the nuisance beaver population.
WSA cautions that dam removal may only be temporary because it doesn't stop future daming activity and provides a list of practices to consider before removing a dam. It also approves removing dams and provides a list of restrictions and conditions.
Bookmark SASKTODAY.ca, Saskatchewan's home page, at this link.
