Dam-ed up

Residents near Briery Run shouldn't be surprised if they hear explosions around 10 a.m. today.

Agents from the United States Department of Agriculture will be removing several beaver dams on the waterway that can cause the creek to overflow its banks.

USDA Wildlife Biologist Technician Mark Batchelor said the flooding often cuts people in nearby subdivisions off from their sewage lines. Removing the beaver dams should allow the creek to flow normally and lessen the risk it will overflow.

"We've got a lot of water in there that's flooding up near all those houses in that area," Batchelor said. "...We're just trying to release the water off of those people."

Removing the dams on Briery Run, which runs near Hugo Road and N.C. 58, should "dry that place back out," Batchelor said.

Vanessa Clarke can be reached at (252) 559-1076 or vclarke@freedomenc.com. Check out Vanessa's blog at http://vclarke.encblogs.com.