Beaver-breached dam floods road in Vecpiebalga, causing major damage
A breached dam has flooded and partly washed out a road near Vecpiebalga, and unusually, the cause was not heavy rain but beavers.
The Vecpiebalga municipal administration reported on September 18 an unusual incident in the area: a dam has been breached along the road section connecting Greiveri, Vēveri and Meirēni, near the "Liel-Kaibēni" farmstead. The force of the released water flooded the nearby road and washed out part of its surface.
According to eyewitnesses, the affected road section is currently closed to traffic. The damage is significant — the road base has been washed away over a stretch of at least 100 metres, and part of the road surface has been carried into a nearby meadow.
Not rain, but beavers
While the scale of the flooding might suggest prolonged heavy rainfall as the cause, that is not what happened here. The dam was breached by beavers, whose activity caused the water pressure to build up beyond what the structure could hold.
Local authorities say that repair work on the road cannot begin until the water has fully drained and the site becomes accessible. Given the extent of the erosion and the length of the damaged stretch, restoring the road is expected to take considerable time and money.
Residents and drivers who normally use this route are advised to expect disruption for an unspecified period while the full extent of the damage is assessed and repair plans are made.
