08.d Beaver Dam at 14925 Oakhill Rd. Staff Report
Date of Meeting: August 18, 2026
For: Honorable Mayor and Council
From: Kyle Morell, City Administrator
Subject: Beaver Dam at 14925 Oakhill Rd.
Background:
Council knows the City has been working with the landowners at 14925 Oakhill Road, Chris and
Laurie Holton, to remediate a beaver dam on the north edge of their property that has been
backing up the wetland behind City Hall and, therefore, the wetland at Gammelgarden since
last summer. The City has long sought access to the property to install a beaver baffler system
to help control wetland levels without removing the dam. This approach was sought because
the removal of past dams at this location has only enabled the construction of new dams.
Conversations with the property owners did not progress, as the owners stated they had
previously asked for help and been denied, so they do not wish to assist the City now.
With the property owners unwilling to help, the City sought the County’s assistance in seeking a
court order allowing the City to access the property. Instead, the County offered to work with
the property owners to find a solution. The proposed solution is a managed drainage easement
that connects the City Hall wetland to Sand Lake. The drainage way is shown by the dashed
blue line in the three map sections below.
This section of the drainage way connects the City Hall wetland with the wetland off Ostrum
Ave.
The section of the drainage way connects from the Ostrum wetland, under the driveway at
20370 Ostrum Ave N., into another wetland, and then under the driveway to 20361 Ostrum Ave
N., into a ditch that runs into the wetland complex north of 197th St N.
The final section of the drainage way runs out of the wetland complex north of 197th St N,
under the road, and into a ditch that drains into Sand Lake.
The property owners have long stated that this drainage way was created by “the government”
in the mid-1900s and has not been maintained since. As a result, when the previous beaver
dams were removed, the water flooded their property instead of working its way through the
drainage way as designed. This is the drainage way the County recommends this City commit
to maintaining, as this is where the wetland is supposed to drain. The County does not
recommend removing or mitigating the dam without knowing the downstream issues that
releasing water from the wetland might cause.
The City has drainage easements on most of the area shown above. The City secured a
drainage easement through the Holton property in 2013. The Sand Lake Overlook development
has a drainage easement that was part of the 2002 plat. The Oxboro Heights plat from 1979
also shows a drainage easement connecting to the Sand Lake Overlook. The only areas that we
are missing are detailed below.
20361 Ostrum – Jeffery & Heidi Nelson – They recently had a “beaver baffler” installed to
ensure water flows through a culvert joining a wetland on their property to the adjacent
drainage easement in the Oxboro Heights plat.
20370 Ostrum – Daniel Vennewitz – They maintain a culvert under their driveway crossing a
wetland, and the southeastern portion of their property is the connection point (through a
designated wetland) between the Oxboro Heights drainage easement and the Sand Lake
Overlook drainage easement that ultimately feeds Sand Lake.
Since drainage easements (for the most part) already exist, should the City see whether the
Watershed and DNR would be interested in partnering to address the management issue?
Neither would allow us to maintain a channel without their permission/input. This could be a
great way for the City, Watershed, and DNR to partner to address an important issue.
If the City does not wish to go this route, then we can still take the property owner to court. I
am not sure the County would offer their support with that action. I told the County Council
that they would discuss this issue and report back.
Attachment:
1) Simonson Oakhill Estates Plat
2) Sand Lake Overlook Plat
3) Oxboro Heights Plat