Southington Beaver Battle Fix A 'Win-Win' For All: Town Manager: UPDATE

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Towns are always bear aware and on bobcat alert.

But Southington this week completed work in an ongoing battle against beavers.

The Southington engineering and highway department collaborated on an initiative on Churchill Street this week that strives to alleviate potential flooding issues caused by these buck-toothed brutes.

You see, beavers historically have built dams at a culvert there that, when not obstructed, allows water to pass underneath the roadway there.

When the culvert is blocked, water can get on the road and cause problems.

Enter the town, which this week installed a Keystone fence at the culvert.

The wire fence is a simple box-like configuration that aims to keep out beavers and make sure the culverts are clear of any dam debris. (That's the noun "dam," not the adjective.)

Will it work? The town hopes so.

"We are hopeful that this will alleviate past issues with the construction of beaver dams," wrote officials on Wednesday.

Southington Town Manager Alex Ricciardone called it a "win-win" for both residents nearby and the beavers, adding that some of the options of action called for the beavers to be euthanized.

"For years, persistent beaver activity in the Eight Mile River by the Churchill neighborhood has created recurring flooding concerns for nearby homes," wrote Ricciardone on social media.

"Instead of defaulting to removal, our engineering department and Town of Southington, CT-Highway and Parks Department crews explored every humane and sustainable option."

He said options included trapping and euthanizing the beavers, trapping and relocation (with a likely return), and continually destroying their dams.

The fourth option, Ricciardone said, was the path the town took, namely a “Beaver Deceiver” flow-control device that keeps the beavers away from where the water flows.