Beavers Cause Problems for Spring Lake

Beavers are threatening the town's water supply and leaders said that the solution is to kill 150 of the animals.

The plan has come under fire from several opponents who believe that the problem can be solved without spilling blood.

Spring Lake leaders said that the US Wildlife Service Agency will decide what method to use to kill the beavers.

City leaders said that beaver dams will eventually cost city taxpayers thousands. For several years the animals have been building dams on the Little River Creek. Those dams have led to flooding in the neighboring Holly Hills subdivision and could soon lead to a much bigger problem.

"Can we allow the water to come up and the beaver dams to exist and then they in turn flood the city sewer system. If we do that that's going to tax us as taxpayers," Resident Dave Clark said. "So it's better to eradicate the problem in the early stages."

Chris Parrett is one of two Fayetteville residents fighting the plan. Parrett said that the city has several options they won't even consider. Options he said would cost less and be more effective.

City leaders said that they have not received a single complaint about the plan from those who live inside Spring Lake.

Parrett said, "I don't believe this is just a Spring Lake problem because federal, state and local tax dollars are going into this and so as a resident of Cumberland County, of North Carolina and of the United States; all my tax dollars concerned are going into this matter."

The beaver elimination plan is scheduled to get underway in the next few days.