It also helps improve water quality downstream. Studies have shown that stream water below beaver ponds had 50 to 75 percent less suspended solids, 20-65 percent less total phosphorus and nitrogen. However, the beaver ponds also cause increased storage of water in the banks and flood plains. This increases the water table, enhances summer flows, adds cold water during summer, and causes more even stream flow throughout the year. During winter, beaver ponds in cold environments prevent anchor ice from forming and prevent super-cooling of the water.
Beavers also help shape riparian habitat.
Beaver ponds increase the surface area of water several hundred times and thereby enhance the overall riparian habitat development. They also enhance vegetation growth by increasing the amount of groundwater for use by riparian plants. Manage livestock grazing to avoid conflict with beneficial beaver activity. Suggestions for grazing to improve riparian areas and allow beavers to further improve the habitat quality are included in Olson 1994. Replace culverts with bridges where there are chronic culvert plugging problems that induce beaver removal activities, or install culvert protective devices that don t impede fish passage for either adult or juvenile passage.