Eight gages saved

By FRITZ MAYER

NEW YORK STATE — Of the 50 stream gages in the state that were to be shut down, at least eight will now stay open because increased funding has been found. Two of those are in this area. One is in the Upper Delaware River at Port Jervis and the other is in the Beaverkill River.

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther said officials worked with the New York City Department of Protection (DEP) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to come up with extra funds to keep the gages operating. The gage at Callicoon, which, like the other two, is considered high priority because of its use with flood projections, is not yet out of the woods but, said Gunther, that one is still funded for another year, so there is ample time to find more funding.

The gage in the Upper Delaware at Barryville has not received funding and is scheduled to cease operations in June. It is considered a low-priority gage by the USGS and the National Weather Service, though Gunther said they are working to save that one, too.

Congressman Maurice Hinchey has also been working on the issue. He said, “The ability to forecast impending floods is central to our ability to limit injury and property damage during these increasingly frequent events.”

The agencies providing funding for the gages, along with USGS and DEP, include the NY Department of Environmental Conservation, the Susquehanna Flood Forecast and Warning System and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Stream gages not only provide information that can help officials prepare for future flooding but, according to the USGS, gage records over periods of more than 30 years help officials in efforts involved with water supply planning, and are used for understanding changes that occur in streams and rivers due to changes in land use, water use, ground-water development and climate.