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Public Safety Commission forwards resolution to work with USGS on Connecticut River gauge to finance committee
Summary
Emergency manager Rob Kronenberger told the commission he and USGS staff identified two possible sites for a river gauge; commissioners voted to forward a resolution to the finance and government committee and then to full council for approval. Initial installation cost was described as about $25,000 with annual maintenance estimated at $8,000–$10,000.
Emergency manager Rob Kronenberger told the Middletown Public Safety Commission on Nov. 18 that the city has been working with the U.S. Geological Survey to re-establish river monitoring in Middletown and that the USGS recommended two possible installation locations on city property.
Kronenberger said the initial installation will cost roughly $25,000, with annual maintenance and operation handled by the USGS and estimated at about $8,000–$10,000 per year. He said the USGS installs and monitors the gauge remotely, and that the city would have online access to river-stage and velocity data useful to fire, police and dive teams.
Why it matters: Commissioners noted the city lost its local gauge around 2012 and that re-establishing continuous monitoring would aid flood-stage awareness, response planning and river-velocity measurements used in dive-operation protocols.
Process and vote: Kronenberger said he placed a resolution in the meeting packet; the commission discussed funding options (loss-of-funds account or Harbor Park funds) and committee schedules. The commission then moved to forward the resolution to the finance & government committee so it may be considered by the full council in December. A voice vote carried the motion; the commission did not adopt the resolution as final policy at the Nov. 18 meeting.
Additional details: Kronenberger described one potential site as the Peterson property and a second as an older site south of the sewer plant accessible only by foot from the railroad tracks; he said the gauge installation would typically be mounted on existing pilings or a small monitoring box and be fully maintained by USGS once installed.
Next steps: The resolution will be forwarded through finance & government for placement on a council agenda; Kronenberger said he will work with financial staff to identify the specific funding stream.
