For years, authorities debated building a barrier to protect the Klabava River, south of Prague, from sediment and acidic water spilling from nearby ponds. A dam would have solved the problem, but the project stalled due to financial and bureaucratic problems since 2018.

Beavers have saved Czech taxpayers a cool $1 million by flooding a protected former army training site where a long-stalled dam was planned, a conservation official said on Tuesday.