Here we share some observations about and snapshots of the Passive House we had built in Oakland County, Michigan. All photographs were taken by us unless otherwise noted.

One of the principal tributaries of the upper Shiawassee River runs through the property around our home. As readers of Ben Goldfarb’s outstanding book Eager, we fully appreciate why beavers are attracted to this waterway and why these dynamic and tireless aquatic engineers are our best allies in restoring the local natural habitat. The upsides of beaver activity include a significant improvement in downstream water quality, the reduction of erosion and current fluctuations that storms and snow melt would otherwise cause, and increased habitat for native plants and animals.

The downside to beaver presence is that the level of the water their dams impound may put existing structures, roadways, and snake hibernacula at risk. In order to limit how high the water can reach we opted to install a pond leveler, sometimes called a “beaver deceiver.” The idea with these devices is to allow the full current to flow through the dam at the appropriate height. The intake and output should be quiet and smooth enough that the beavers are not compelled to further obstruct the stream. The capable team at Bostwick Excavating—Mike Sr, Mike Jr, Mitch, and Austin—recently constructed and installed such a device modeled after the Clemson pond leveler. With this plan, the water intake is distributed over many holes in a tube that is centered in a 30 inch diameter cage. The cited documentation states that this device handles several hundred gallons of water per minute and should require very little maintenance after installation.