The site of the beaver habitat is in McLeod Creek behind Temple Har Shalom off State Route 224. In September, community members raised concerns beavers and their habitat had been illegally removed.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources investigated the removal of the beavers, and the Division of Water Rights investigated the removal of the dams. Both investigations found no wrongdoing.
The Division of Wildlife Resources said a conservation officer visited the area to investigate on Sept. 18. The officer located the beaver dam diversion at McLeod Creek but found no evidence of recent beaver activity.
The division learned a private company with a permit was hired to remove the beavers. No citations were issued.
The Division of Water Rights oversees anything that impacts streams, including up to 30 feet on each side of the water. So, it investigated the beaver dam removal.
Daren Rasmussen, a stream alteration specialist from the division, said people can alter streams under certain conditions.
“People can go in and remove trash or debris without a permit, as long as they don't get heavy equipment in the channel.”
To use heavy equipment to alter streams, including beaver dams, requires a permit. A permit is also required to alter mature beaver dams, even without heavy equipment, as they are important to the ecosystem.
However, the dam removed at McLeod Creek was not developed enough to be protected.
“In this case, there was no evidence of any heavy equipment in the channel itself," Rasmussen said. "It looked like they did minimal damage in the removal of it. And therefore, it was determined that really no permit could be required for that.”
However, Rasmussen said there are at least two older, more mature beaver dams farther upstream at McLeod Creek. If those dams were causing flooding or erosion problems and somebody wanted to remove them, they would need a permit.
Rasmussen also said stream flooding isn’t necessarily a good enough reason to remove a beaver dam.
“Flooding is a good thing," he said. "I know that may be not very popular, but flooding of the floodplain which beavers encourage, it reduces the flow, it encourages groundwater recharge, it creates aquatic habitat, avian habitat.”
Before removing beaver dams, the division encourages other, less intrusive methods. Rasmussen said an alternate option is a method called “beaver deceivers.”
Professionals install them by beaver dams to help keep the water at an acceptable level for beavers and humans alike.
