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Letter Debrl. Season. To the Edilor: An editorial in the Glenwood Post for Nov. 22. 1985 entitled "Damage Control" mentiODed some future work that tile city has on its 1986 .c . TIle first ilem was: "'I'D do more work to mi1igale dDiao.otbat, oflen nows down surroUnding hillsides in the spring and damages. homes and clogs streets." Spring is here, and we hope that preventive measures for debris mitigation are also very near! And not only for the spring runoff. It is well to remember tha t debris nows even more oflen and deeper in the summer, after heavy thun. derstorms. But people have very short memories, even for catastrophic events. How many recall the mud nows of July and August 1981, or even the much larger one of July, 1m? Whoever wishes to refresh his memory may look tbroogh back copies of thelocal press. - - - - - One good example, with very good pictures and accounts of debris damage will be foond in the Glen- wood Post of July 25, tm. And if one wishes to go farther back, there is documentation for at least eight years (not consecutive) of damaging debris noods, all in July, Augus~ or September, and going back to the 19308, So let's keep the whole picture: debris nows in the spring, but also (and especially) in summer. I Earlier this year, somebody said it would be irresponsible to spend $3 million at this tiDle for debris mitigation, But would it not be even more irresponsible to spend nothing? The City Debris and Damage Committee suggested $700,000, and not necessarily all at one time. Much could be done with even less, The ESAI ARIX plan has set up priority areas which are probably very close to the city's needs. The plan also pointed out that the most effective (and also least expensive!) - - - - mitigation basins are not like dams, which some people fear might fill up and break, but simply big holes in the ground to catch debris). In February, Councilman Kent Benham said, "I think it's time for us to establisb' financial priorities for the city," Right. Obvioosly, the city waler supply has the first priority, but close behind is debris mitigation. Let's keep it there, and do something abootitt There is now special concern for property owners below the 21St Street gully (which is the first priority area of ESA/ARIX), because of the work done last year on 21st Street. Instead of being lowered, as we expected, the street was raised, with the result that most adjacent property owners have less prolection from debris nows than before, The minimal prolection that remains includes a section of the Glenwood Ditch which would catch a minimwn amount of debris, and - - - - which has some low ooUets or spillways for overflow, The problem with the latter is that the city has not yet connected the spillway by a channel to 21st Street. Hence any overflow will probably again take the usual rOOle dOWll the. "fall line" (steepest slope) through the Panorama Heights subdivision, damaging, as usual, numerous. properties, Thus the channel from the Glen- wood Ditch, as well as the basin above, are of sufficienUy high priority to warrant digging as SOOll as the groond is uofrozen. So let's stop talking aboot it, and making excuses, and get the machines moving, The work can be done gradually, with relatively little expellM. Every rock and square yard of mud that gClOll into a basin above will be that much less below, in our yards and~! J1lIIan and Anne VOIfl G1eowood Springs - - - - - -