A natural buffer gives way

BERNE — Flooding from a collapsed beaver’s dam closed Route 443 near Route 85 on Wednesday, but public safety and public works teams cleared the road soon after.

Police observed the flooded area at 7:10 a.m., according to a press release by the Albany County Sheriff’s department.

Due to fast-moving water and dangerous road conditions, Route 443 was closed from Brookhaven Drive to Route 85, the release stated. The flooding also closed a section of Pinnacle Road at State Route 443.

Several companies, including the Berne Fire Department, Helderberg Ambulance, the Albany County Sheriff’s Emergency Medical Services Unit, and the Albany County Sheriff’s Emergency Management Office, responded and helped close the roads and redirect traffic, the release said.

The New York State Department of Transportation and the Albany County Department of Public Works responded to the scene to assess and repair the damages, the release said.

The county public works department repaired a 20-foot shoulder on Route 443, said Mary Rozak, communications director for Albany County.

The roads were reopened by 8:15 a.m., according to the sheriff’s office.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regulates how the public interacts with beaver structures.

According to state law, no person is allowed to disturb a beaver's dam, house, or den without written permission from the DEC. The law authorizes the DEC to issue permits for the removal of nuisance beavers.

The law also defines beaver damage as that including “an impoundment threatening downstream property, upstream flooding of land, trees or crops killed or damaged by flooding, flooding of homes, flooding of highways or railroads, contamination of water supplies, impairment of drainage systems, damage to wildlife habitat or landowner distress,” according to the DEC website.

“The DEC will assist the public in finding appropriate solutions to problems caused by beavers,” the site states.

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