BREMERTON — A beaver was causing a stir to Bremerton's primary source of drinking water.
Earlier this month, public works officials began seeing a spike in turbidity, or decreased water clarity, in the middle of the night near the Casad Dam.
The dam, at the headwaters of the Union River west of Gorst, supplies about 60 percent of the water to Bremerton ratepayers. Just below it, before the water is treated in multiple facilities, a beaver was creating a new dam of its own.
There was no immediate panic for one animal, according to Kathleen Cahall, the city's water resources manager. The engineer-like beaver can be a positive force on the nature around it, but in this case, the city had to remove it. Cahall noted that Bremerton must keep strict control of those waters — a pristine source of rainfall that collects behind the dam.
"Source control is paramount," Cahall said.
And that meant the beaver would have to go.
Crews viewed cameras mounted on the riverbed to spot their nocturnal culprit, gathering materials for a new home. He picked an odd spot amid a steep canyon and several large boulders. Not the easiest place to build a dam, public works officials said, but one with plenty of supplies as a recent storm had taken down some conifers.
It's likely the critter's in adolescence and was recently abandoned by his parents to fend for himself, according to Chad Huntelman, lead operator for the city's water department. It fell to him to trap the animal.
He had no previous experience, but the city sought bids from 12 trappers. The cost to retain one for a year was $60,000. So Huntelman became a licensed beaver trapper.
He began to put out traps filled with cedar and a scent, and eventually, the beaver climbed right in. The state's Department of Fish & Wildlife was called.
"They had a spot for it," Huntelman said.
A state wildlife biologist took it to a creek in Mason County that was missing its beaver. The critter had been hit by a car and the owner of the property was glad to take a new one.
It's safe to assume the transplanted beaver got down to business once nestled in its new environment.
