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STOP BEAVER DAMAGE TO ROAD CULVERTS

Blocked Road Culverts are the Most Common Beaver Problem We Encounter

To a beaver, a road bed with a culvert pipe probably looks like a hole in a large dam. Since beavers have an innate ability to plug leaking holes in their own dams, they are also very good at blocking water flowing through road culverts. By blocking a culvert beavers can easily create a large dam and pond. A blocked culvert can quickly flood road causing a public safety issue and cause expensive infrastructure damage. Repeatedly clearing blocked culverts can be a significant drain on your limited manpower and financial resources.

Fortunately, properly designed and constructed culvert flow management devices have proven to be extremely effective in eliminating culvert damming by beavers. Our guaranteed flow devices have a 98% success rate protecting culverts despite the presence of beavers (see Beaver Solutions Studies). Different culvert protection options include: Keystone and other Culvert Fences, Fence and Pipe Devices, and Diversion Dams. They are so effective we guarantee them. Annual maintenance is usually less than one hour per year.

Keystone Fences™ – Culvert Protective Fences

Beaver Solutions LLC has installed hundreds of successful culvert protective fences. Our Keystone Culvert Fences are usually trapezoidal in shape and have a 96% success rate. 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 it much more work for the beaver to dam the culvert. This makes plugging the culvert less desirable, keeping it open to flow without obstruction.

Second, if beavers try to dam the culvert inlet, the Keystone Fence will force them to dam further and further from the culvert. This misdirection discourages damming on the fence.

Third, if the topography of the stream allows for water to surround the entire fence perimeter, the fence should be built in a trapezoidal (Keystone) shape. The trapezoidal shape discourages beaver damming because if the beavers start damming at the culvert as they get further away from the culvert inlet the opening that the stream is flowing into is widening. This widening of the water inlet reduces the water movement at the fence where the beaver is damming. Since the sound and feel of moving water are strong damming stimuli for beavers, their desire to continue damming is reduced.

Six inch by six inch, 6 gauge concrete 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 is often 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 removal of beaver sticks and leaves that floated against the fence. This usually takes less than 15 minutes per cleaning and can be done by anyone willing to get in the water. Beaver Solutions LLC offers this service at a low cost, and offers a Money-Back Guarantee on every flow device we maintain.

Diversion Dam with a Small Culvert Fence

There are times when a stream channel at a road culvert is too narrow for a trapezoidal Keystone Fence™ but a beaver dam outside of the culvert would not pose a threat to the road. In situations such as these, building a small culvert fence with beaver fencing to start an upstream diversion dam may be the best way to protect the road.

The culvert protective fence is installed to keep the culvert open, and the diversion beaver fencing is placed approximately ten feet upstream of the fence to encourage beaver damming away from the culvert. Instead of diversion fencing the strategic placement of preexisting stones across the stream bed to create some pooling and cascading water noise makes an ideal diversion dam. This will stimulate the beavers to dam upon the rocks rather than the culvert fence. If in the future the size of the dam needs to limited, a Flexible Pond Leveler™ can be installed through the diversion dam and into the culvert fence to control the water level.

SITE ASSESSMENTS

Effective flow management devices are custom designed and constructed to account for the unique characteristics of each site. For the best outcomes a professional Site Assessment is important to determine if a flow device is appropriate and what type and design would best suit each site’s unique characteristics. Some variables that affect flow device design include: stream flow, culvert type and size, streambed topography, presence of other beaver dams, beaver food supply, the sound and movement of water in the culvert (important stimuli for beaver damming), the potential for other upstream or downstream flooding conflicts, and the previous use of poorly designed flow devices by others.

Following a site assessment is possible to select the type of flow device which will protect the culvert from beavers in the most cost-effective and long-term manner. Since nearly every culvert can be effectively protected for many years with properly design and installed flow device, the short term solution of trapping and beaver removal is rarely needed.

Types of Culvert Protection