Crime & Safety
Beaver Dam Break Floods Town In Worcester County
The dam along School Street Brook burst on Saturday evening, sending water into a commercial district along Route 67.
WARREN, MA — A relatively small animal caused a pretty big natural disaster in Warren over the weekend.
A large beaver dam along the School Street Brook in Warren broke on Saturday evening, sending water streaming into a commercial area along Route 67.
The flood began around 6:30 p.m. near the intersection of Spring Street and Route 67. Warren police closed the town's main road for about two hours before the water receded.
A local resident told a reporter the 12-foot-high dam breaks every six to eight years. School Street Brook flows from a hilly area in Ware south to Warren and into the Quabaog River.
Philip Clough took these photos of the beaver dam that broke. He says the dam and approx. 6 to 8-acre pond is at the base of Colonels Mountain. The dam is about 12’ high on School Street Brook. The dam holds back a lot of water and succumbs to the water pressure every 6-8 years. https://t.co/DP9esPveVV pic.twitter.com/LKtOAltyXG
— Mike Saccone (@mikesacconetv) May 23, 2021
According to the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (and anyone who's gone a walk near a wetland), beavers are common across Massachusetts. The rodents, with their signature leathery tails, build dams to create ponds, where they feed and breed.
