Beaver dams Jackfish Lake, not clear what it’ll charge per kWh

A beaver on Jackfish Lake, near the NWT Power Corporation’s Yellowknife diesel generation site, is to be live-trapped and relocated.

Cabin Radio understands a dam established by the beaver at a culvert exiting the lake has been removed.

It’s not clear if the beaver was attempting to set up a rival shop, with the Yellowknife power franchise up for grabs from 2020.

The power corporation, perhaps not wishing to give the competition any undue publicity, declined to use the terms ‘beaver’ or ‘dam’ in its response to Cabin Radio.

NTPC did, however, acknowledge that an “obstruction in a culvert under Highway 4 … had been removed.”

Staff at the Jackfish facility had reported a noticeably higher water level on the lake as a result of the beaver’s activities. The power corporation said this had no impact on operations.

The NWT’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) said an officer conducted an on-site assessment on Tuesday.

“When a beaver’s activities are posing a concern to infrastructure, ENR officers will typically set live traps and try to relocate the beaver, so long as the beaver will have sufficient time to build a lodge and store enough food prior to the winter,” said a spokesperson by email.

“ENR is planning to live-trap the beaver at Jackfish Lake and relocate it.”

The department could not say with certainty where the beaver’s new home will be, once successfully trapped.

Several years ago, beavers trapped in the Niven Lake area of Yellowknife were removed to an unspecified area some 30 km from the city.