KENT, Conn.—“I don’t think it’s nice to deceive a beaver,” quipped Inland Wetlands Commission member Ken Johnson Monday, July 28.
Nevertheless, that is exactly what the IWC intends to allow Kent Falls Brewing Company co-owner David Birnbaum to do.
Birnbaum appeared before the IWC seeking permission to install a so-called “beaver deceiver” to silently transport water from one side of a spillway on his property to the other.
Beavers are hard-wired to try to impound water and will try to dam up any spillway where they can hear water trickling. Conservationists view beavers as beneficial landscape engineers that create new habitat and encourage biodiversity, but this often brings them into conflict with humans that want to use the land.
Removing the debris they pile up to stop the water is time-consuming and largely futile as they will immediately rebuild. The only other solution has been to remove them from the site—a process lethal to the beaver as, under Connecticut law, it is illegal to transport them to another site.
In the case of Birnbaum’s property at 33 Camps Road, the collapse of a beaver dam has already caused damage to properties downstream from his.
“David has reached out with a solution that may be more permanent,” Land Use Administrator Tai Kern told IWC members.
“Because of the beaver activity, the water gets high and rather than try to remove it, we would like to use a pond leveler,” Birnbaum said. “It’s an underwater pipe that lets the water out through the spillway. Because the beaver doesn’t hear the water, it doesn’t try to plug it up. It can also be useful as an additional outlet when there is a large amount of flow from heavy storms.”
Installation of the device can be accomplished within a day and has a low environmental impact, he said. The installers would work from a boat and by wading into the water.
There are different designs for the “deceivers,” but each consists of a pipe that runs from one side of the dam to the other with a mechanism that blocks beavers from plugging it up. Ideally, the pipe will be underwater so the beavers can’t hear the trickle that usually would call them into action. This allows the water level to be maintained so it won’t flood roads or trails while the ecosystem the beaver built can also endure.
Members of the commission saw no issue with the proposal. They will formally vote on it at their Aug. 25 meeting, but informed Birnbaum that he can go ahead and schedule a date for installation after that time.
In other business, the IWC members took another look at the proposal for 13-unit affordable housing development on a 1.15-acre parcel below South Kent Commons. The plan calls for 18 parking spaces and an access drive.
Commissioners had a few questions about the plan’s provisions, including the site for stockpiling materials and drainage. Under the revised plan, the stockpile area has been moved, but not enough for Kern to be comfortable with it. “It’s in a little sweet spot between wetlands,” she said. “We will have to keep an eye on it. I was hoping it could be elsewhere.”
Roy Seeley of Cardinal Engineering said it might, indeed, be moved when the contractor moves onto the site. He said his goal in placing it was to keep it out of the way of construction activity.
“We didn’t want to take down trees and it was placed to keep it out of the way construction,” he said, “but I agree the area is small and very constrained.”
“We’re only interested in wetlands,” said Werner, “so showing an alternate location would be good.” She cautioned that the developer would have to work closely with Kern in locating the stockpile and might have to come back before the commission for approval.
It was observed that there is no legal easement on file for an existing pipe that runs from The Kent down the hill and across the parcel to be developed. IWC Chairman Lynn Werner said the easement must be codified before the plan can be approved.
Department of Public Works foreman Rick Osborne questioned the amount of drainage to be collected at one basin and asked why so much water is being directed there. Seeley said he would look at the issue before the August meeting. Osborne also noted that the drainage outlet is directly at the edge of the property, putting protective riprapping onto a neighboring parcel. This, too, will be corrected.
Lastly, Osborne urged a turnaround for emergency vehicles.
The commission agreed to do an Aug. 11 site visit to 17 Straight Road, home to Kent Hollow Straight LLC, an agricultural operation that wants to expand its garden with an associated shed, chicken coop, berry house, greenhouse, walls and related appurtenances.
Engineer Paul Szymanski said a barn and chicken coop already exist. Because the proposed area of disturbance would come within a foot of the wetlands, he offered to stake out the area so commission members can visualize the scope of the project.
He said materials would be stockpiled “as far away from the wetlands as possible.”
Finally, Osborne introduced an application to build a new retaining wall at the transfer station to facilitate installation of a composting machine. The town has received a grant for the machine, and the town crew is preparing a site for it. He said the work would be done to Department of Energy and Environmental and Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority specifications.
The application will be on the agenda for the August meeting.
