Uh oh. More good news today about beavers. An article saying they treat water. Look for one soon claiming they don’t treat ALL the water good enough for humans to use it. We can’t just let beavers get away with hogging the entire news cycle, We have to draw the line somewhere.
Researchers: Beaver dams do a good job improving Iowa water quality
ISU team finds the barriers can remove nutrients from waterway
Sediments trapped by beaver dams help remove excess nutrients in state waterways, Iowa State University researchers have learned through a first-of-its-kind project for Iowa.
The team found sediments trapped by beaver dams can reduce nitrates by 1 to 4 parts per million on average — which can add up to hundreds and even thousands of pounds per year across multiple dams, according to lead researcher Andrew Rupiper, an ISU master’s degree student.
“Regardless of where you’re at in Iowa, we see significant sediment trapping and significant nitrate reduction when you compare to a non-dammed stream nearby,” said Rupiper, who presented the team’s ongoing findings Thursday at the 2022 Iowa Water Conference.
Wha-a-a-a-t? Do you mean to tell me that findings of Rhode Island AND Great Britain are actually true for Iowa too? GET OUT! I never suspected that Iowa would be subject to the same laws of physics. Did you?
Beavers are native to Iowa and inhabit streams, rivers and other water bodies statewide. Their populations in Iowa rebounded after facing extinction in the 1900s and are estimated to have since grown into the tens of thousands.
Beaver research in the United States is almost exclusively focused in the West, Rupiper said. These ecosystems — and their beavers — behave differently than those in the Midwest. He said his team hopes to fill that gap with its ongoing research.
“There’s been zero work done in that regard in the state of Iowa,” he said. “We’re looking at the same critter doing some very different things.”
Are you kidding me? Iowa isn’t very big you know. The west side of Iowa is about 3oo miles from the East side of Iowa. Do you really think these factors act so differently at that distance?
The team recorded the depths of sediment trapped by each beaver dam and calculated the total volume, which could amount to as much as 250,000 to 300,000 kilograms — or more than a half-million pounds.
Then, the researchers collected sediment samples to bring back to the lab.
There, they investigated if the samples had the right “ingredients” for nutrient reduction: low oxygen, slow water speeds and particle sizes ideal for microbes that consume the nutrients. They found that beaver dams can create ideal conditions for nutrient removal — mirroring human-made reduction efforts — for free.
Emily points out that he’s referring to the western US generally, So its a bigger deal to refer to the midwest. Okay, you’re right. But Arthur Gold’s original research was done in Rhode island which I believe is east of Iowa. And Alan Putock’s research was done in England which I’m pretty sure is east of Iowa. Not to mention Bylak’s new research. Good luck, Andrew. You have your work cut out for you.
