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highplainsdem

(63,622 posts)
Mon Jun 15, 2026, 11:33 AM Monday

How eight beavers solved a Tube flooding problem engineers have been trying to fix for years (The Independent, 6/14/26)

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/ealing-beaver-project-flooding-greenford-b2992273.html

An 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 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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How eight beavers solved a Tube flooding problem engineers have been trying to fix for years (The Independent, 6/14/26) (Original Post) highplainsdem Monday OP
What a concept: work with instead of against Nature. SheltieLover Monday #1
Nature has been around.... SergeStorms Monday #14
More than a slight edge & sans the greed factor SheltieLover Monday #17
Artificial anything never beats what nature can accomplish UpInArms Monday #2
Beavers for Congress. twodogsbarking Monday #3
Leave it to Beaver sheshe2 Monday #4
LOL-- yes! LymphocyteLover Monday #13
I couldn't help myself. sheshe2 Monday #15
Haha! Good one, She! SheltieLover Monday #18
I love beavers! Got to hold a little rescue sweetheart at the Zoo. chouchou Monday #5
Those beavers should get an honorary degree from CalTech DBoon Monday #6
Or teach there! 😂 MLAA Monday #11
Science Friday did a podcast about beavers recently. progressoid Monday #7
Oh, and Hoppers... progressoid Monday #8
It's refreshing how clear and simply stated this video is - not a lot of fluff and marketing. erronis Monday #9
Instead of investing in AI, we should invest in NI nuxvomica Monday #10
"...and stop despoiling the environment for quick profits." 3catwoman3 Tuesday #21
I was born and raised in upstate New York, and did a lot of hiking in the Adirondack Mts. when I was young. patphil Monday #12
Sounds like Mosquito Heaven maxsolomon Monday #16
Mosquito's, Black Flies, and no-see-unm's. patphil Monday #20
Mother Nature for the win! dlk Monday #19
so cool Skittles Tuesday #22
Maybe beavers can fix the reflecting pool! LymphocyteLover Wednesday #23

SergeStorms

(21,007 posts)
14. Nature has been around....
Mon Jun 15, 2026, 01:59 PM
Monday

billions of more years than humans and their "taming nature" foolishness. Nature might have a slight edge over humans' technology.

erronis

(24,858 posts)
9. It's refreshing how clear and simply stated this video is - not a lot of fluff and marketing.
Mon Jun 15, 2026, 01:20 PM
Monday

I wish the Americans could learn how less can be more.

nuxvomica

(14,366 posts)
10. Instead of investing in AI, we should invest in NI
Mon Jun 15, 2026, 01:37 PM
Monday

Over the past several years, scientists have documented the remarkable intellectual abilities of a variety of animals, even beyond cetaceans and primates, including elephants, mollusks like octopuses, various birds, and of course beavers. Maybe it's about time we took a step back and considered that we should be partners with our fellow companions on this planet, leveraging their vast storehouses of natural intelligence. For this partnership to blossom, there would need to be come compromises, like maybe we should stop eating so much meat, and stop despoiling the environment for quick profits.

3catwoman3

(30,067 posts)
21. "...and stop despoiling the environment for quick profits."
Tue Jun 16, 2026, 04:13 PM
Tuesday

Planet Earth would not miss human beings if we became extinct.

patphil

(9,303 posts)
12. I was born and raised in upstate New York, and did a lot of hiking in the Adirondack Mts. when I was young.
Mon Jun 15, 2026, 01:51 PM
Monday

My friends and I would hike into remote ponds and lakes and sleep overnight in one of the many lean-to's that were constructed by the state EPA for that purpose.
We were at the lean -to on the shore of Peaked Mountain Pond, and could see several beaver lodges in the pond.
After we got there and settled in, a beaver swam right at us from the pond, got close to the shore, turned around, and slapped it's tale hard on the water.
It was very loud; almost like a gun shot. It was the beaver's message that this was it's space, and it didn't like us intruding.
Very impressive!
The whole area was filled with small ponds, meadows, and marshes...a testament to their ability to create and maintain an environment that provide food and shelter for a wide variety of woodland creatures.

patphil

(9,303 posts)
20. Mosquito's, Black Flies, and no-see-unm's.
Mon Jun 15, 2026, 04:06 PM
Monday

You had to cover up and use protective sprays. But, it was worth it.
We once were walking through the woods, and heard movement and a growl about 100 feet from us. We had surprised a sleeping wolf! There were 4 of us, so he wisely decided to grumble and then move off. We were 19-20 yrs old at the time, and a single wolf wouldn't have risked it. We were armed.
Funny thing, we were told there weren't any wolves in that area. We were also told there weren't any moose in that area, so the creature that sounded like a tank crashing through the undergrowth, with hooves thundering must have been an imaginary one.

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