For sale: beware of the beavers

Steve is sleeping on the couch downstairs yet again. The pitter-patter of the rain beating against the skylight in his upstairs bedroom is too much for his restless mind to handle. The rain is a constant reminder of the flooding that has caused him tremendous grief for the last four years.

Steve used to love everything about his home- from its quiet neighborhood location to the spacious yard where he would host family barbeques. He prided himself on the pristine condition of his lawn and enjoyed nothing more than lounging on his patio in the morning with a cup of black coffee and a newspaper in hand.

But when a significant flood in the spring of 2006 left his yard resembling a swimming pool, he knew that something wasn’t quite right. As he watched the water recede from neighboring yards, his remained flooded. “The city officials told me that there were beavers in the woods behind the house,” he said. “I knew there was a drain at the end of the street because I would walk by and see the water running through the pipe, but the beavers were clogging it.”

The city installed a cage in the front of the drain, which would allow water to flow through without the beavers blocking the pipe, but the beavers worked around the barrier, making it impossible for water to drain.

So, for three years without fail, fifty-nine year old Steve has trudged down to the end of the street to the drainage pipe where he rakes the muck, sticks, and leaves from the clogged cage. In the summer heat, the mosquitoes and flies that thrive in the murky water leave his skin itchy and irritated. Some days he clears the drain while rain beats down onto his back, making the mud underneath him slippery and unsafe, which once resulted in a rusty rod from the cage gashing his hand. Sometimes he returns home so drained of energy that he is too exhausted to do the things he actually enjoys, like going to the YMCA or jogging at Kenoza Lake.

“It’s a significant stressor,” Steve said, “It’s become a quality of life issue. It’s a laborious task that I’m tired of doing.”

Steve has been in touch with the city constantly for the last three years regarding this issue. While they do help when they can, their numerous tasks make it hard to frequently return to the drainage issue. Steve’s neighbors, who have also experienced flooding in their yards, rely on his relentless determination, leaving him alone in his battle.

The recent March flooding has only been more of a burden on Steve. Stepping into the water-filled cellar requires a pair of galoshes, and in the backyard the old, gray doghouse, once home to the family’s golden retriever, now houses mallards, who dip in and out, welcoming their new pond.

“I’m at the point where I can’t do this anymore: it’s too much for me. I used to like to sleep in my bedroom and listen to the drizzling rain, but now all I can think about when I hear it is how much my yard is going to flood and all of the work I’m going to have to do.”

“It bothers him so much,” his wife, Gail, admits. “He walks down to the end of the street with his head hanging low like the weight of the world is on his shoulders every morning.”

So, despite the fact that he’s deeply saddened by leaving the home he has loved for the last 27 years, Steve has decided that during the upcoming year there will be a new addition to his water-logged yard: a for sale sign.