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• Small price to pay • In response to the recent com- ments by Mr. Gerald Morsello con- cerning the destruction of the Amazon • Creek habitat (re: R-G Sept. 17), I • would like to say that perhaps the writ- _ _„ ... ._ .. . _, _... _ .. •_ � ..--.:.. er should do some research before : • •• -_ accusing the Eugene Parks and Recre- • , ., " . ation Department of wasting his pre- _ _ • • clous tax dollars After making a few • - •" ... . • - inquiries I have become aware of what • . • , • _: .'. " . .- - is being done to the Amazon channel •._ . - by the Public Works Department and why it is being done. • • • It should be noted that the Amazon channel is not a willow thicket,It is an • engineered channel built on the old creek bed and as such it is the primary drainage basin for the valley it runs through,thereby channeling the runoff (including storm drain runoff) into Fern Ridge Reservoir and the Long Tom River. The channel carries a large volume of water(1,500 cubic feet per second on the average in January- February) from a drainage area of 2L3 square miles, and is essentially a large flood control canal. I myself live three doors down from the Amazon and watched with alarm last winter as the water level race to within a few feet of the top of its banks on several occasions.The pri- mary reason for this rise was the pres- • ence of large amounts of willow trees and other vegetation which caused a greatly reduced flow rate and a cone- quent rise as water backed up in the . channel. • - I applaud the Public Works Depart . . merit's timely handling of this potential . . flooding problem before the recent . " •- • .. . ••• rains A small amount of Mud along ,• • " - -- and In the channel every three to four - . • years is a small price to pay for the • cost of a major flood cleanup.. _ - WALLACE F.WEBSTER , 545 E.31st Ave. Eugene A . :-. _ _ -