[Reprinted from original]

Signs of muskrats burrowing inside the city lagoon prompt action
Muskrats are medium sized semiaquatic rodents that are found in wetlands over a wide range of climates and habitats, or possibly in a local city’s lagoon.

Brian Nichols, Seligman city clerk, said city officials are seeing what looks like burrows on the outer edge of the lagoon.

“We haven’t actually seen muskrats, but there is potential that there could be an issue,” he said. “We have some traps to set up in the lagoon to see if we catch anything.”

Nichols said it is a common issue to have muskrats not only in lagoons, but in ponds where they live there eat the vegetation and burrow from the inside out.

“It can really be a problem,” he said. “If they were to burrow a hole through the perimeter of the lagoon, you have the potential of sewer water running out and down the side of the lagoon.”

Nichols said there could even be a possible collapse issue that can be very costly.

“We have some kill traps to set up out there so that we can catch them,” he said. “Short of that, we would have to see them in person and find someone to eliminate the pest.”

Nichols said since there is property damage being done by the muskrats, the city can do what is needs to do to eliminate the muskrats.

“There isn’t really a good way to trap them in a no-kill trap because they are aquatic,” he said. “You would have to catch them in water, and the easiest way to do that is a kill trap.”

Nichols said there has never been an issue of muskrats before in Seligman.

“Our lagoon is more than 20 years old,” he said. “We haven’t experienced this before.”

Nichols said it may not be muskrats, but there are signs of pests and burrowing.

“We want to be proactive and take care of the issue before it becomes a bigger problem,” he said. “The main critters that cause issues like this are muskrats, so most likely, that is what it is.”