On May 24th, 2012 Fur-Bearers along with volunteers from LUSH cosmetics set out to build two pond levellers to help save a colony of beavers living on the Sunshine Coast BC. The beavers had been doing what beavers do best and damming the outlet end of a small lake, causing flooding problems for local homeowners. Not wanting to use lethal measure the homeowners, along with Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) Parks, contacted Fur-Bearer’s for some help.
In less then a day we were able to build and install 2 pond levellers and an exclusion fence.
What follows are images detailing the building of a pond leveller.
Pond levellers are simply a large diameter pipe inserted into a beaver dam, which controls the height of the water level. The beavers can build their dam as big as they wish but the height of the pond will never rise above the height of the outlet end of the pipe.
The intake end of the pipe is enclosed in a cylindrical cage to prevent the beavers from accessing it and the whole thing is submerged to the bottom of the pond.
Pipes being carried to the lake.
Clearing a path for the pond leveller
The lake
Volunteers learning how to build a pond leveller
Constructing the cylindrical cage for the intake end of the pipe
Adding a top to the intake cage
The pipe being inserted into the cage.
Finishing up the pond leveller by securing the pipe and making sure all the gaps are closed up.
The pond leveller being floated into position.
You’ll notice the two pontoons on the bottom of the cage, which aid in getting the leveller floated into place and are removed when we need to sink the intake end. Which is where the brick on top comes in handy.
The pipe is now in place and the pontoons are being removed.
The pond leveller on its way to the bottom of the pond.
The outlet end being put into place.
The beaver dam being put back over the pipe.
