Residents of the Opole area, southwestern Poland, are facing serious chances of floods, but from legally protected beaver dams and not snow melt, the more likely cause.

The dams are protected by the Regional Environmental Protection Directorate, tying the hands of local officials who seek to protect residents from the severe flooding expected throughout Poland this spring, following heavy and continuous snowfall this winter.

“As administrators, we are responsible for making sure that rivers are allowed to flow freely. However, when a river is blocked by these beaver dams, we are completely powerless because of the environmental protection regulations which prevent us from disassembling their structures,” says Roman Kendzia, director of the Provincial Board of Reclamation and Water Equipment in Opole, adding that, when his employees attempted to clear rivers of dams last year, environmentalists sent police to stop them.

Kedzia adds that that an additional worry is the fact that the country’s beaver population is steadily increasing.

Provincial officials have sent written requests to the environmental ministry seeking special permission to remove or relocate the protected beaver dams for the sake of protecting resident humans. There is, however, only one firm in Poland that specializes in responsibly relocating beaver dams. (mmj)