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How eight beavers solved a Tube flooding problem engineers have been trying to fix for years (The Independent, 6/14/26) [View all]
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ealing-beaver-project-flooding-greenford-b2992273.htmlAn unexpected group of engineers has solved a decades-old flooding issue affecting northwest London residents’ homes, streets, and the local Tube station.
The reintroduction of beavers in Paradise Fields, Ealing, has prevented flooding for the first time in years, with the area having experienced problems since the 1970s.
It’s an issue that the council had tried – and failed – to solve with large-scale and expensive interventions, but less than a year after five beavers were introduced to the site in October 2023, the “ecosystem engineers” had manufactured the complex wetlands and built a network of at least five dams.
Urban beaver officer Seniz Mustafa said the dams had slowed the flow of water downstream and turned the park into a natural sponge capable of storing large volumes of water.
-snip-
The reintroduction of beavers in Paradise Fields, Ealing, has prevented flooding for the first time in years, with the area having experienced problems since the 1970s.
It’s an issue that the council had tried – and failed – to solve with large-scale and expensive interventions, but less than a year after five beavers were introduced to the site in October 2023, the “ecosystem engineers” had manufactured the complex wetlands and built a network of at least five dams.
Urban beaver officer Seniz Mustafa said the dams had slowed the flow of water downstream and turned the park into a natural sponge capable of storing large volumes of water.
-snip-
The animals had been hunted to extinction in London 400 years earlier.
Video from the Independent in October 2023 when this project started:
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