Find out mountain communities try to reduce the problems cause by development. Measures include flood protection, erosion control, limits on development, planning controls and building restrictions etc.

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Find out mountain communities try to reduce the problems cause by development. Measures include flood protection, erosion control, limits on development, planning controls and building restrictions etc.

Although ski resorts are constantly thriving to develop their centres, they are aware of the problems they cause. Sometimes, the ski centres will work alongside other communities to try and reduce these problems. They use such methods:

Erosion control: in order to try and limit erosion, the ski centre may limit usage of the ski slopes, roads, nature trail and so on to only a few hours a day or may limit the numbers using the facilities at any one time.

Avalanche control: avalanches are masses of snow moving down hillsides at phenomenal speedy and awesome destructive power. They are often unpredictable and happen without any warning. In order to try and keep them to a minimum, controlled explosions are used to get rid of any surface snow that could be a potential threat. Some ski resorts have wooden snow bridges that try to drastically slow down the snow as is approaches the villages. Snow fences and avalanche breakers help to divert the moving snow away from the village. Reafforestation is where lots of trees are plated in front of the path of the snow and is the real lifesaver- it can reduce damage by up to 50 percent. Sheds are used to cover main access roads so that in case of emergency, the resort can still be reached.

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Flood control:   in order to keep flooding to a minimal, levees are constructed to stop the water entering the resort. Levees are huge blocks of concrete that are built along side major rivers. Many overflow pools are also constructed alongside major water outs. These stay empty and are used as a reserve tank incise of flooding. However, flooding will only mainly occur when there are rapid changes in temperature. Snow melts rapidly and so the water runs downhill hill causing flash floods.

Development, planning and restriction Limits: local councils or government may impose limits on how much a ...

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