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Show a, - s City makes plains ! for cmmg ffleeis By MARCELLA WALKER The continually ftilling snow of o (he past week indicates that this winter may bo a replay of last y ear which brought - record snowfalls and resulted in flooding along the Wasatch Front last spring. Mayor David Holdaway of Pleasant Grove has already called a meeting of those involved in flood prevention in the city to make plans for the coming spring. Major Holdaway said that they have decided on two immediate plans of action. The first is to get the gravel out of the Grovecreek and Battlecreek catch basins as soon as possible this winter. He noted that the water level in . the basins has stayed high all I summer and fall making it impossible to clean out the gravel which was washed down in the ( high runoff of last year. He added that it might be March before the water is low enough to remove the gravel but that it will be done as soon as possible. The other plan is to approach the canal owners and ask for permission to use it as a diversion for Grovecreek runoff. The city received permission to put two pipes into the canal last spring which took a lot of pressure off the overflowing ditches. Mayor Holdaway said that the city will stockpile sand bags in larger numbers than last spring and will monitor the snow accumulation above the city on Timpanogos. The mayor added that the Pleasant Grove Irrigation Company is working to clear ditches. Bob Oscarson reported not long ago that there is still water in many of the ditches which makes it impossible to clean them. Residents in the area of 100 N. and 700 E., where some of the worst flooding occured last spring, are planning on cleaning the large ditches there so that the runoff can better be handled. The flood watch committee will meet regularly, Mayor Holdaway said, so that they can stay on top of the situation and be ready earlier for possible flooding than they were in the Spring of 1983. On Memorial Day last spring the water rose high enough in the Grovecreek catch basin to go over the spillway, the first time it had since it was built. A large crowd gathered at the site to watch the history making event. Damage at the basin and surrounding area was kept to a minimum as runoff water which could not be handled by existing ditches was diverted down 500 N. with sandbags directing it into the Murdock Canal. Damage from flooding in the city was most extensive in the Wade Springs area where damage estimates were placed at $28,690. Total damage throughout the rest of the city was set at $40,82,5.59. The city should receive a grant for 75 percent of the cost of the damage from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Countless volunteers spent many hours, along with city employees, filling sandbags and fighting the threatening high waters. Through it all Pleasant Grove came out much better than many other communities even though it is closer to the mountains than some surrounding cities. |