About this write Npr.
A few years ago, the station was regularly flooded during heavy rains. The tracks are above ground, but water often flooded the ticket office and adjacent rooms. The situation changed after a family of five beavers settled in the local city park in the fall of 2023.
The animals were relocated as part of the Ealing Beaver Project, a conservation project that has given them a 20-acre former golf course with a stream running through it.
Photo: Sarah Tilotta for NPR
Within weeks, beavers began building dams, creating a system of ponds and wetlands that allowed water to accumulate and gradually return to its natural course instead of rushing into urban neighborhoods.
According to veterinarian Sean McCormack, who initiated the project, the beavers have effectively turned the area into a giant sponge, capable of absorbing significant amounts of rainfall and gradually releasing the water back into the environment. This has significantly increased the area's resilience to flooding.
Photo: Sarah Tilotta for NPR
After the beavers appeared, flooding near the metro station stopped. In addition, the project had a positive impact on the local ecosystem. Thanks to the animals felling trees and changing the structure of the landscape, biodiversity began to recover there.
Freshwater shrimp have appeared in the stream, as well as eight new bird species, two species of bats and rare brown hairy butterflies that lay their eggs on thorn bushes damaged by beavers.
According to the project's authors, natural engineers also allowed the city to abandon expensive plans to build a reservoir and a protective dam.
Today, the area has become popular with locals, offering guided tours and special “beaver safaris” where visitors can watch the animals at work.
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