Destruction of beaver dam by Whiteville residents credited with lessening flood levels downtown

WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) — In the days leading up to Tropical Storm Debby coming through the Cape Fear, Greg Hewett was worried an all too familiar scene was about to unfold.

“My business personally has flooded 8 times in 28 years and 4 times in the last 8 years,” Hewett said. “So downtown Whiteville, all the business owners are just getting frustrated.”

So Hewett and several other residents decided to do something about it before Debby hit.

Last Tuesday, they, along with beaver trapper Hayward Padgett, rowed their kayaks up into the Soules Swamp to take out a beaver dam.

According to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, beaver dams can be removed as long as the owner of the land the dam is located on gives permission.

The North Carolina Flood Inundation Mapping and Alert Network showed there was a drop in water level of more than a foot, to under 3 feet, caused by the dam removal as measured at the South Madison Street bridge. Once Debby hit, the water level rose to as high as 7 feet.

But Hewett said the drop saved many businesses in Whiteville.

“Water still came to the street level, to the door level, to my business, came to the door, but did not come in the building,’ Hewett said. “So I would say mission accomplished.”

Hewett said he will go back out on Friday to see if any other dams need to be removed.

Tyler Hodge is the district watershed coordinator for the Columbus County Soil and Water Conservation District and runs the district’s beaver bounty program.

He agreed that removing the dam helped prevent more serious flooding in Whiteville and said letting beavers roam unchecked is dangerous.

“The beavers create a lot of havoc for cropland, timberland, especially residential areas,” Hodge said. “So we don’t try to eradicate them, our program don’t do that. We do try to just manage them so that the citizens of Columbus County can enjoy their property.”

The Beaver Bounty program allows residents to have a trapper come out and remove beavers and their dams from their property.

Last year, more than 250 beavers were removed through the program.

The NC Wildlife Resources Commission does not allow the relocation of any beavers, so if they are removed, they are either released back on site or euthanized.