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Commissioners approve purchase of seven river gauges to expand local monitoring
Summary
Haywood County approved a resolution to buy seven river‑level gauges—five replacing USGS sites and two additional sites at Allens Creek and Jonathan Creek—funded by an Office of State Budget and Management grant, to enhance flood monitoring and public alerts.
The board unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the purchase of seven additional river‑level gauges funded through an Office of State Budget and Management grant, Emergency Management Coordinator Zach told commissioners. Five of the new sites will replace USGS gauges the county had relied on; two are new locations (Allen Creek and Jonathan Creek near the fire department) to expand coverage.
Zach said the gauges were instrumental in recent storm response: "We were able to get those up and online right about a week, almost 2 weeks prior to the storm," and they are accessible on the state's flood inundation mapping network (the NC FIMANN site) where residents can sign up for height alerts. Commissioners and staff noted that the gauges helped predict peak river levels and supported targeted evacuations and protective actions.
Zach said the county will maintain the replacement gauges and integrate them into the statewide mapping network so residents and responders can receive automated alerts when river heights reach specified action stages. The board approved the resolution by unanimous voice vote.
