SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — Neighbors in the Gardens at Snowden Grove say a Southaven pond that once anchored their community is disappearing, and they are worried about the fish and wildlife that still depend on it.
Residents told FOX13 the pond was once roughly eight feet deep, stocked with fish and popular with kayakers. Today, they say, much of it has dried to mud.
What Residents Say Is Shrinking the Southaven Pond
Neighbors point to three problems working together:
Silt: Years of stormwater runoff have washed sediment into the pond and made it shallower, according to resident Phyllis Johnson.
A beaver dam: Johnson said residents found a beaver and a dam and reported it to the city, which acknowledged the dam was there.
Drought: A long stretch of dry weather this fall has left little water to refill it.
“It’s not there anymore. The pond. It used to be here when we moved in,” Johnson told the station. Another resident, DeWayne Eddington, said his main worry is that the remaining fish “are not going to have much oxygen left.”
City Points to State Wildlife Rules
Southaven City Engineer Jamey Jones of Southaven Public Works said the city usually works with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP) on beaver problems. That agency helps decide how to respond under state regulations, which govern how nuisance beavers and their dams can be removed.
The city has not announced a timeline for any work at the pond.
Dry Fall Across DeSoto County
The pond’s decline comes during an unusually dry autumn for North Mississippi. Earlier this month, neighboring Marshall and Tate counties banned outdoor burning as the National Weather Service warned of dry conditions. The National Weather Service expects showers and possible storms Saturday night, though drought relief is likely to be limited, and rain will not remove silt or a beaver dam.
Why Beavers Matter for Neighborhood Ponds
Beavers are common across North Mississippi’s creeks and drainage ways. Their dams can raise water in one spot while starving another of flow, and they can redirect runoff in ways that leave a downstream pond low. Landowners and cities generally work with MDWFP or licensed nuisance wildlife operators before removing a dam or trapping the animals, because state rules govern how that work is done.
Residents with concerns about drainage or wildlife on city property can contact Southaven Public Works through the City of Southaven at southaven.org.
