Sydney High students and volunteers seek one final satellite to complete 18-year flood-monitoring network

Richard Townsend, introduced to the board as the presenter for Sydney High School’s flood-monitoring program, told the town the project began after the 2006 flood and has operated for about 18 years with support from students and community donors. The program built stream- and rainfall-monitoring stations and a satellite reporting network used to provide forecasts and early warnings to the town and local schools.

Townsend and student team members described how the network collects precipitation and river-gauge data and reports hourly to GOES East for analysis. “We use this data from our stations for our forecast and also our research,” said Lucas Goodspeed, a student team member who explained the satellite telemetry and maintenance workflow. Presenters demonstrated the hydrometcloud.com interface and said the project makes historical precipitation and gauge information publicly accessible through the district website.

The presenters said the system reports river heights as elevation above sea level so residents can compare readings to building elevations and basement levels. They described the program’s forecasting method—plotting precipitation against historical gauge responses to estimate likely river rises—and noted that the 2011 flood remained an outlier when heavy local rain pushed the river beyond prior predictions.

“We’re almost there. We need one more satellite to be complete, and we’ll have the entire network reestablished,” Zoe Brainerd said, noting the group’s remaining procurement needs. The presenters said five replacement communications units have already been installed through grants and donations and that remaining units will become obsolete on 05/31/2026; they estimated roughly $3,000 per replacement device for the outstanding stations.

Speakers credited multiple funders, including a 2007 State Farm Insurance Youth Advisory Board grant that initially funded the network and more recent support from the Unitego Science Foundation; Brainerd said the Susquehanna River Basin Commission awarded a $5,000 grant toward SAP Link 3 devices. The group reported one maintenance issue at the Edmondston Station—likely a stuck gauge—and outlined routine summer maintenance plans for vegetation and hardware checks.

Town board members and a resident asked whether the monitoring group coordinates with agencies that clear debris or dredge rivers; presenters said decisions about stream disturbance and cleaning are typically handled by other agencies and that their role is focused on forecasting and getting people out of harm’s way. Presenters said typical lead time for river peaks is 12–14 hours except in events where rain falls very locally.

The presenters closed by thanking volunteers and town staff who helped secure grants and by offering printed presentation copies and contact information for follow-up. The board did not take formal action on funding during the meeting; presenters urged continued community support to purchase the final communicator.