Schumer: federal grant to pay for stream gauges along state canal system

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded the New York State Canal flood-warning system a grant of nearly $1.5 million for the installation of rain and stream gauges along the Oswego River, Mohawk River, and upper Hudson River basins.

U.S. Senators Charles Schumer (D–N.Y.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) made the announcement in a news release that Schumer’s office issued Friday.

Stream gauges, also known as precipitation gauges, measure rainfall in areas at risk of flooding, as described in the lawmakers’ news release. The stream gauges also measure the water level of rivers and stream systems to detect cresting waters.

With this funding, the state canal flood-warning system is combining forecasting, early-monitoring systems, and precise flood warnings to get first responders and local communities the real-time data they need in the risk or event of flooding.

The grant will pay for the installation of precipitation gauges that officials will use in combination with existing monitoring devices and data to monitor changing conditions throughout each watershed as severe weather events occur, the lawmakers said. 

The nearly $1.5 million in funding represents the final installment of federal funding for the project, meaning that FEMA is covering the full cost of installing the stream gauges.  

Federal funds previously only offset 75 percent of the $5.9 million project, the lawmaker said.

The effort seeks to mitigate river-flooding risk in three New York river basins, including the Oswego, Mohawk, and Upper Hudson Rivers. 

The affected counties include Onondaga, Oswego, Oneida, Madison, Cayuga, Lewis, Herkimer, Tompkins, Chemung, Schuyler, Seneca, and 12 additional New York counties, Schumer’s office said.

The lawmakers previously announced other federal funding for these gauges in November 2013 and April 2014.

“We have learned from Tropical Storms Irene and Lee, Superstorm Sandy, and the periodic flooding in Upstate New York that we cannot shortchange programs that our communities rely on to keep citizens safe and well-informed, and that help first responders,” Schumer said in the news release.

“By funding, and thereby protecting, our existing stream gauge network and placing new stream and rain gauges, we will be able to better predict and mitigate future floods … The canal flood-warning system is a comprehensive plan to use the latest technology to New York’s advantage in the battle against flood damage, and these stream gauges make this effort possible,” he added

FEMA awarded the grant under Section 404 of the Stafford Act, which provides for hazard-mitigation discretionary funding for disaster relief and emergency assistance.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com