CulverClearTM Fences - Culvert Protective Fences Beaver Solutions has installed hundreds of culvert protective fences. For reasons described below, the ideal shape for a CulverClear fence is trapezoidal. Our CulverClear fences have a 98% success rate because they eliminate beaver culvert damming in several important ways. First, the fence creates a long perimeter that the beavers must dam against. Typically over 40 feet, this long perimeter makes what was an easy to dam culvert much more work for the beavers. As a result this discourages beavers plugging the culvert, keeping it open to flow without obstruction.

Culvert Protective Trapezoidal Fence...

Second, beavers prefer to begin clogging culverts at the inlet end where the sound and movement of water are very strong damming stimuli. Once a culvert protective fence is installed, if the beavers attempt to dam against the fence at the culvert inlet, the fence will direct them farther away from the culvert. This misdirection further discourages damming on the culvert. Finally, provided that the topography of the streambed allows for water to surround the entire perimeter, the fence should be built in a trapezoidal shape. The trapezoidal shape further discourages beaver damming because if the beavers dam along the fence, as they get further away from the culvert inlet the opening that the stream is flowing into is essentially widening. This widening of the water inlet reduces the water movement where the beaver is damming against the fence, thereby further reducing the stimulus to continue damming.

Trapezoidal Culvert Protective Fence Diagram

Six inch by six inch mesh fence is optimal. The openings are large enough to minimize floated debris buildup on the fence, yet small enough to prevent beavers from carrying damming materials inside. Fence flooring must be installed to prevent tunneling under the fence. Quality construction with the finest materials is imperative if the system is to withstand the test of time, the elements, and the beavers.

Maintenance on a well designed culvert protective fence is minimal and typically consists of three to four times a year removing sticks and leaves that floated against the fence. This usually takes less than ten minutes per cleaning and can be done by anyone willing to get in the water. Beaver Solutions offers this service at a low cost, and will indefinitely guarantee every culvert and fence we maintain from any beaver problems.

Cylindrical Culvert Protective Fences

The cylindrical fence system makes a culvert less attractive for damming by requiring the beavers to build a much longer dam to block the culvert. In addition, they are inexpensive to build and install. (See Diagram)

Cylindrical Culvert Protective Fence Diagram

Unfortunately, as opposed to our CulverClear TM culvert protective fences the cylindrical fence does not decrease the stimulus for beaver damming, is more difficult to maintain, eliminates the ability to access the inside of the culvert, and in our experience has an unacceptably high failure rate of approximately 30%. Since our CulverClear TM culvert protective fence systems have none of these shortcomings and have a failure rate of less than 2%, we no longer use cylindrical fence systems and do not recommend them.