A couple of Central Whidbey residents are miffed over a neighbor’s decision to cut holes in a beaver dam on their property without consent.

Central Whidbey Fire and Rescue responded to a call about a dam breach at Willow Pond around 11:30 a.m. Monday. Water was running through private property and into Puget Sound south of Race Road.

Robert Ronnie said Monday that he and his wife, Georgia, noticed a torrent about 30 feet wide flowing over their private drive, making it nearly impassible.

Upon inspection, Ronnie said he noticed two gaps in the beaver dam containing five acres of wetlands on their property.

“It’s a good volume of water,” he said.

Fire Chief Ed Hartin said that responders determined that someone had made an opening in the dike that surrounds the north end of the pond and that it appeared to lower the water level.

Hartin said he did not know yet who the culprit was and could only speculate that it was either an attempt to lower water levels that may have been encroaching onto their property or vandalism.

There were concerns about potential damage to the bluff over Puget Sound, but an inspection revealed no immediate risks of that.

Too much unusual erosion could trigger significant damage to property and structures near the bluff, Hartin explained.

“What’s done in one place can have significant impact in some place else,” Hartin said.

Ronnie said he intends to file a complaint. As of press time, however, nothing was filed with Island County’s Sheriff’s Department or county Planning Department.

It was unclear Tuesday whether the neighbor had broken any laws by the action, other than trespassing.

In September, Island County commissioners updated its Critical Areas Ordinance to exempt the removal of beaver dams from the permitting process. However, the county asks that residents contact the county prior to dam alternations and receive a letter of exemption, according to county staff.

Ronnie said he believes he knows which neighbor had breached the dam.

Ronnie said he recently received a letter asking him and his wife to take action on the dam.

The Ronnies said they liked their “protected wetland” the way it was.

“We don’t want to do anything about the beaver,” Georgia Ronnie said. “We haven’t had a lot of rain except for lately.”

“The lower water levels of the wetland will likely be short lived as the beavers will rebuild the dam within a couple of days, according to Ralph Downes, state Fish and Wildlife enforcement officer.

“They’re magic in a beautiful way — if they’re not causing any damage,” Downes said.

“They’re industrious little buggers.”

Where it becomes complicated, Downes said, is when the flooding encompasses another person’s property.

“Different people have different ideals,” Downes said.

“Some people think they are cute and cuddly, and some don’t,” Downes said.

At the state level, residents’ only real option for addressing a beaver problem is to hire a state-certified trapper who can remove the “nuisance animal.”

While the wetlands do carry some protections, the state focuses on habitat in terms of fish and wildlife and differs more complex issues to the county.