MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. — Maple Valley homeowners along Taylor Creek say beaver dams are flooding their properties, but state officials say they cannot intervene without permission from neighboring landowners.
“That used to be all dry land,” said Michael Upton, who showed KIRO 7 around his property. “Now it’s all taken over by water. It’s not just water, it’s swamp water.”
Upton said beaver dams have transformed the creek that once flowed through his property into a swamp that is flooding his yard. Mosquitos have moved in, he said, and salmon have moved out.
“Right now, as deep as it is, it’s at one of its lowest points because we haven’t had any rain,” Upton said. “So we’re terrified that when the rain comes in, it could wipe out some of our homes.”
Across the street, the Henry family is dealing with similar issues.
“It’s really muddy back there right behind the property,” Lucille Henry said.
Water on the property has knocked down trees and caused a shed to collapse, they said.
“It’s just made it difficult to do any gardening like we used to,” Henry said, adding that it knocked out their blueberries.
The neighbors believe beaver dams are causing the issues, but the dams aren’t located on their properties. They told KIRO 7 the state has not helped them.
“It’s getting worse,” Henry said.
Washington law permits the removal of beaver dams when the dams threaten private land, but nothing appears to require their removal.
KIRO 7 emailed the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to confirm.
While WDFW does issue permits to authorize beaver relocation under certain conditions, a spokesperson from the department said they cannot require a landowner remove beavers on their property if they do not want to.
The spokesperson also noted that beaver dams can often be beneficial to salmon and are rarely permanent impediments to salmon migration.
State resources note that removing dams rarely solves the problem, as beavers often quickly return to rebuild.
“That’s not good,” Henry said. “So what can be done?”
KIRO 7 tried speaking with the homeowners whose property neighbors believe the dams are being built on, but they did not want to talk to us.
“We thought that because it had happened before it would eventually resolve itself,” Upton said. “Now we’re three years out, and it has decimated the area.”
Upton and the Henry family are worried about losing more land and watching their property values go down with it.
“They have got to come down, or we’re going to lose everything,” Upton said.
The state has posted resources about living with beavers here.
King County has shared resources too.
The county also referred residents dealing with beavers to nonprofit Beavers Northwest, which provides technical support for landowners living alongside them.
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