Devastating damage to the lake

[SAMIAM]

Amazing isn't it? If you so much as added a post to your dock, placed a stake in the water or added some sand to your beach the DES would be at your door with assault rifles and armored vehicles.
Yet the state can dump anything they want in the lake with no repercussions

[Onshore]

Originally Posted by SAMIAM

Amazing isn't it? If you so much as added a post to your dock, placed a stake in the water or added some sand to your beach the DES would be at your door with assault rifles and armored vehicles.
Yet the state can dump anything they want in the lake with no repercussions

What may result in a determination that the action was legal is not that it may have been done by a state agency, it is that there are special provisions for beaver dam removal in the laws governing Fish and Game.

210:9 Protection of Beaver. –
I. No person shall destroy or disturb or interfere in any manner with the dams or houses of beaver, without first obtaining a special permit from the executive director.
II. Notwithstanding paragraph I or any other provision of law or rule of the executive director or the department of environmental services, a landowner, the landowner's agent, or any town or municipal or state official or employee, may destroy beaver, remove beaver dams, or install beaver pipes or beaver fences on property under their control to protect property, public highways, or bridges from damage or submersion. Dam removal shall be allowed without a permit under RSA 482-A if machinery does not enter the water and filling or dredging in or adjacent to surface water, wetlands, or their banks does not occur. Removal shall be done in a gradual manner that does not allow a sudden release of impounded water so as to cause erosion, siltation, or a safety hazard downstream.

[HellRaZoR004]

Originally Posted by shore things

What may result in a determination that the action was legal is not that it may have been done by a state agency, it is that there are special provisions for beaver dam removal in the laws governing Fish and Game.

210:9 Protection of Beaver. –
I. No person shall destroy or disturb or interfere in any manner with the dams or houses of beaver, without first obtaining a special permit from the executive director.
II. Notwithstanding paragraph I or any other provision of law or rule of the executive director or the department of environmental services, a landowner, the landowner's agent, or any town or municipal or state official or employee, may destroy beaver, remove beaver dams, or install beaver pipes or beaver fences on property under their control to protect property, public highways, or bridges from damage or submersion. Dam removal shall be allowed without a permit under RSA 482-A if machinery does not enter the water and filling or dredging in or adjacent to surface water, wetlands, or their banks does not occur. Removal shall be done in a gradual manner that does not allow a sudden release of impounded water so as to cause erosion, siltation, or a safety hazard downstream.

Highlight the important part...

[Steveo]

removal shall be done in a gradual manner that does not allow a sudden release of impounded water so as to cause erosion, siltation, or a safety hazard downstream.

exactly!!!!!!

[Steveo]

Dave was right again, it was DoT not Alton Highway department. I can't believe anyone that lived in Alton could be so callous. So it was others that could care less about our town or lake. Also the reaction of the workers was classic. When I went up to them (admittedly screaming) what are you doing, explaining you could have done this is such a way as to not pollute the lake. All I heard back was laughter, "it was the beavers man not us". And then when I was walking away one of them said "have a nice day sir"

ARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!

[Reilly]

Oh well sometimes nature creates problems for or against us. Live with it

[Rusty]

"Drain the swamp"...seems like I've heard that a lot lately.

[Descant]

Can we get some pictures, please?

[Steveo]

Hard to show the true damage but here are a couple of pictures:

[Descant]

Thanks for photos. Still curious to see what the (former) dam looks like now. Is access to the docks/boathouse(?) diminished (allowing for the already low water level? ou earlier mentioned a lot of debris from the dam. Is hatin the lake or just along the brook?

[Steveo]

Originally Posted by Descant

Thanks for photos. Still curious to see what the (former) dam looks like now. Is access to the docks/boathouse(?) diminished (allowing for the already low water level? ou earlier mentioned a lot of debris from the dam. Is hatin the lake or just along the brook?

Thia was taken Friday 18th. The beaver have already started back:

[fatlazyless]

Could be a good spot to install anti-beaver culvert baffles? The US Forest Service has info on this ..... just google "anti-beaver culvert baffles" ....... goal to keep the water flowing. How to outsmart the beavers!

[Descant]

Thanks for the photos.
OP mentioned earlier that somebody from DES was supposed to look into this. Did s/he show up? Any feedback? How about the Alton Conservation Commission? Who put up the silt fence that's in the picture? Before or after DOT did the first dam removal?

[Slickcraft]

Good suggestion about the Conservation Commission.
http://alton.nh.gov/government/conservation-commission

The secretary is in Town Hall, 1st floor, 2nd door on left.

[Onshore]

I took this sometime around 1998-1999. It gives an idea of normal lakebed conditions.