Beavers could play a part in preventing the flooding which is increasingly leaving people in Norfolk with waterlogged homes.
Norfolk County Council officers have said the reintroduction of the dam-building rodents could help to slow down water flows and reduce flood risk.
Beavers have already made a restricted return to parts of the county, with mammals released under licence into an enclosure at Wild Ken Hill in 2020, and by Norfolk Rivers Trust in north Norfolk last year.
Two have also been released at Sculthorpe Moor Nature Reserve, near Fakenham.
And, with the number of flooding incidents in Norfolk doubling in the space of a year, the role the semi-aquatic animals could play in stemming that was discussed during a recent debate by county councillors over how to tackle the issues.
At a meeting where Norfolk County County's cross-party scrutiny discussed the challenges of flooding, Joel Hull, the authority's assistant director for waste and water management, mentioned the potential benefits of beavers.
It prompted Green county councillor Jamie Osborn to ask if more of them would be reintroduced across Norfolk.
Mr Hull said: "There's a strong case nationally being made for a more relaxed approach to the appropriate use of beavers as nature's engineers.
"Seeing them close up, it is quite awe-inspiring what they take on in terms of commitment to felling trees and making a difference.
"That's got to be something that is within a national regime, but certainly we are familiar with some of the benefits delivered on the ground in Norfolk.
"But it has to be in the right way, in the right place, but they have a role to play, undoubtedly."
The committee also heard how flooding, triggered by extreme rainfall, was now happening in parts of Norfolk where there had not been flooding before.
Henry Cator, chair of the Norfolk Strategic Flooding Alliance, said: "These flood events are unprecedented for the people who live there. They are all saying they have never seen anything this long or this deep, for so long.
"That affects people's mental health, as well as their physical health, as well as the infrastructure which runs through those places."
Mr Cator said he had invited the head of the Environment Agency to visit the county and said: "Norfolk sits at the frontline of climate change and sea level rise, so it is so important that we take a strategic look and a strategic approach to some of our problems."
He said it was crucial that landowners maintain ditches to keep them clear, to prevent flooding.
And he said it would be better value for money if the Treasury would direct more cash to that than on big capital projects.
The committee also talked about how new legislation could see the county council, which is the lead flood authority, take on responsibility for approving sustainable drainage schemes when new homes are built.
At the moment, County Hall can only make recommendations or lodge objections during the planning process for new schemes, but the government is considering granting new powers.
That would mean the council could make developers have to pay for the installation and upkeep of sustainable drainage systems at new schemes, rather than the water being automatically linked to sewers, which are struggling to cope.
The council said it could have to employ more than 30 new members of staff to carry out that duty, should the government change the law.
But officers and councillors said the extra control it would give them could help to prevent flooding.
Recent storms saw places such as Attleborough, Sheringham, Potter Heigham, Hoveton and Wroxham badly hit by flooding, while the A47 repeatedly flooded between Honingham and Easton.
HOW COULD BEAVERS HELP?
The thinking is that the dams built by the mammals help slow down water in channels.
They create pools of slow-moving water upstream and restrict and control the amount that is able to pass.
While water still gets downstream, instead of sudden peaks of floodwater, it happens more gradually and has less extreme effects during periods of heavy rainfall.
Because bigger pools are created upstream, the soil is able to absorb and store more water.
A study in Devon showed river flow rate downstream of 13 beaver dams was almost three times lower than upstream of the dams.
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