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DRAPER — Two homeowners are in a fight with Salt Lake County to keep the beaver dams behind their properties that have contributed to a rich wetland environment full of ducks, geese, birds, muskrats and other wildlife.
Kelly McAdams and his next-door neighbor on Dunning Court are determined to keep the dams that are believed to be decades old, though Salt Lake County ordered the homeowners to remove them because of the potential risk they pose during flooding events.
A notice delivered on Dec. 24 gave the homeowners 30 days to act, but the matter remains before an administrative judge.
“How can you do this morally?” McAdams questioned. “It’s just wrong, and that’s why I’m fighting this!”
McAdams said the beavers and their dams play a role in cleansing soils, removing pollutants from water and replenishing ground water, in addition to promoting a habitat for wildlife.
“We’re always watching ducks and geese come in for takeoffs and landings on the creek,” McAdams said. “It’s a beautiful thing to see and experience.”
Rick Graham, deputy county mayor over operations, said the county’s role is to keep waterways open, and flood waters could potentially dislodge the materials used to construct the beaver dams.
“When they hit a pinch point, or hit a bend or hit something else, they clog back up and all of a sudden you have water rushing into other private property,” Graham said. “We’re looking out for the rights of the people downstream and to property downstream.”
Graham said allowing the dams to remain could raise questions whether the county is liable for downstream flood damage. He said the county wants to treat the wetland as a “sensitive area,” but the beaver dams and beavers will have to go.
“Striking the balance is the real challenge here,” Graham said. “We’ve had discussions. There are options. Beaver dams are not an option because they’re naturally made, they’re not secure, but there are options to create the same type of effects (behind McAdams and his neighbor’s houses).”
McAdams said prior to the Dec. 24 notice, the county had made separate offers to deliver $500 and then $5,000 worth of rock to install around the creek, but he believes the delivery and installation would cause more harm to his property along with the wetland.
“To destroy nature like that with total disregard, it just frustrates me to no end,” McAdams said.
He said he could face fines amounting to roughly $750 per month if he does not agree to have the dams removed.
“(Salt Lake County) Flood Control intends to drain a jurisdictional wetland and displace all this wildlife when there are easy alternatives that can be performed on dams and downstream debris mitigation,” McAdams said.
Those alternatives include “beaver deceivers” — pipes that help water flow through the beaver dams — McAdams explained, pointing to one of the devices he installed in the stream behind his house.
McAdams also said the county could elect to maintain and expand the culvert at 11400 South, or even simply install steel grates to keep out large pieces of debris.
The two sides were expected to go before the administrative judge in a hearing scheduled May 7.
McAdams said he planned to keep up the fight.
“If I didn’t feel strongly, I would have given up a long time ago,” McAdams said. “I feel very strongly about this.”
