ATHOL — Beavers caused temporary calamity late Monday at South Athol Road’s intersection with Hapgood, Sanders and Tunnel streets, causing water to rise rapidly due to heavy downpours and disrupting traffic.
The Athol Police Department received more than one call in the early evening, reporting 2 feet of water had built up at the underpass area. One caller described water as being backed up and reported that vehicles were hydroplaning in that area.
Officers responded and assisted with traffic until the Department of Public Works arrived.
Assistant DPW Superintendent Richard Kilhart said the water backup caused by beavers “was the first time this year they have caused some difficulties.” The large, sharp-toothed rodents are building a dam in the drainage pipe and stream that run under the roadway.
Kilhart said the DPW made initial breaches in the dam to release the water, but could do little else until the department applied for a special permit to address the main problem. Once the breaches were made, the water level dropped.
“The normal trapping season is from Nov. 1 to April 1,” said Kilhart, “but this is a case where it is a threat to health and safety.”
The Board of Health approved the permit Wednesday to hire a licensed trapper to remove the beavers so the debris can be dismantled and the culvert cleaned out.
“They are building a fair-sized dam inside the main drainage pipe under the road, in the center of the intersection, and in this case it’s a fairly good-sized culvert,” said Kilhart. “If the water continued to build up, we could lose the entire intersection. We are working expeditiously to address the situation.”
He noted the heavy rains came in two waves and water backed up in other areas, causing the brook to fill to a relatively deep depth.
The trapper has checked in with the Police Department to report he will work in the area for the next 10 days to address the problem.