POLK COUNTY, Texas — The small but persistent leak at the Carter Lake Dam in Camden may have been caused by beavers, according to Polk County Emergency Management Director Courtney Comstock.

Comstock told KHOU 11 on Monday morning that property owners have found brush that appears to have been gnawed by beavers and have also seen tracks around the dam. While the exact cause has not yet been confirmed, she said beaver activity “is a possibility, and it has happened to other dams in the past.”

The dam, which sits on private property, developed an estimated 8-inch hole in its earthen embankment late Friday, prompting officials to issue a precautionary evacuation warning for roughly 20 to 30 homes located south of the structure, including those along Henry Darden Road, Marie Road, Communit

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