NOTICE TO OWNER/RESIDENT
The City of Ottawa would like to advise homeowners surrounding the stormwater facility
in Paul Lindsay Park of its plans to remove the beaver lodge from the facility within the
next two weeks.
After careful review and consideration, the City has concluded that the activities of
beavers in the stormwater facility interfere with its functioning, creating a risk of flooding
to surrounding homes and degrading water quality in the pond and receiving
watercourses.
City stormwater and natural systems staff have also concluded that retrofitting of
engineered stormwater facilities with “beaver deceivers” or “beaver bafflers” is neither
practical nor safe, and that it would not constitute good engineering practice.
The City will soon release its draft Wildlife Strategy for public review and comment,
which will include a more detailed evaluation of its beaver-management practices.
The City has refrained from interfering with the beavers in Paul Lindsay Park since they
colonized the stormwater facility in late 2011, in order to provide them with an
opportunity to relocate on their own in the spring. However, it appears that an
abundance of aquatic vegetation in the pond may have provided a sufficient short-term
food supply for the beavers to remain.
The City has expended considerable resources conducting twice-weekly inspection and
frequent maintenance of the facility, keeping the outlet clear of debris created by the
beavers’ activities. Surrounding property owners have continued to contact the City to
report damage to trees. In addition to these continuing costs, the increased risk of
flooding from blockage during summer storm events requires that the City act to resolve
the situation.
The City does not take this action lightly. The city values beavers and wetlands greatly,
not only for the many ecosystem functions that they provide, but also for their
contributions to biodiversity and for their own sake. Ottawa has the largest rural area of
any major city in Canada. Approximately 20 per cent of Ottawa is covered by wetlands,
much of which is protected as “provincially significant.”
These wetlands both support and benefit from a thriving beaver population. However,
engineered stormwater facilities are not designed to function as wetlands, and they do
not provide suitable habitat for beavers. Nor can wetlands and beavers provide the
same level of environmental and property protections within urban and suburban
environments as do properly engineered and maintained stormwater facilities.
The City anticipates that removal of the lodge from the stormwater facility in Paul
Lindsay Park will prompt the beavers to relocate from the stormwater facility to a more
appropriate, natural habitat nearby. Any second-year beaver kits (i.e. young beavers)
June 2012
NOTICE TO OWNER/RESIDENT
should already have begun the process of dispersal. Any first-year kits (i.e. born this
winter) should now be capable of leaving the lodge with their parent. Removal of the
lodge will occur late in the day, allowing the beavers to relocate at night, along the same
routes they used to reach the stormwater facility. Removal of the lodge will begin by
hand to ensure protection of the beavers, and will continue with equipment once any
resident beavers have exited the lodge.
June 2012