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,~ 22,,,. The areas mantled with Slate Creek mudflows have an average depositional slope of 12.5%, which would suggest that any construction or natural processes that would steepen the existing slopes and significantly increase the moisture content will tend to produce instability. The combination of poorly developed surface drainage and potentially unstable soils indicates that if intensive residential or commercial development is proposed, extreme care should be exercised in road construction, home- site clearings, and trench excavations for utilities. Such potential problems are intensified by the occurrence of the most intense thunder- storm activity during the construction season. 'Strict Channelization as Possible Solution There are two obvious types of solutions to the most immediate problem of controlling the mudflows on Slate Creek. The simplest solu- tion would be to securely plug ~ff and protect the older channel diver- sion point, and to channelize the creek near its present course, with an adequate cross-section, and Drotected banks constructed at a stable slope. This would be the most~conomical in terms of land requirements, and would probably be aesthetically the most acceptable in the area above the Crystal River flood plain. The shortcomings of this solution would be the accompanying aes- thetic and hydrologic degradation of the Crystal River and its flood plain west of Marble. If the Slate Creek mudflows were to be "straight- piped" to the Crystal River or its flood plain in the general manner described above, there would be several unfavorable impacts. These would include visual degradation of the flood plain and the general Marble area, which would appear quite serious since the discharge point would be located adjacent to the main road near the entrance to the