Controlling Animal Activity

Livestock can damage embankment dams by grazing, stomping out, or otherwise destroying vegetation, thus increasing the likelihood of accelerated soil erosion. (Image Source: DamFailures.org)

“Often constructed outside of developed areas, the earthen dam environment is usually near a water source and can contain a variety of vegetation; given these characteristics, earthen dam environments can be naturally conducive to use by wildlife. Wildlife inhabiting the dam can alter the dam environment through habitat establishment and use – beaver build dams, muskrat excavate dens, livestock feed on stabilizing vegetation. The natural instincts of wildlife to adapt and use their environment toward their survival can compromise the balance of engineered functions that maintain the viability of an earthen dam”.^[1]