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Canal Corp. calls for new flood monitoring system

Nov 01, 2013 1:00 am
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="240"] Schoharie County, 2011 (agriculture.ny.gov)[/caption]

Casey Seiler is reporting at Capitol Confidential after four disastrous upstate floods in less than a decade, the state Canal Corp. hopes to retool the flood monitoring system in the Oswego, Mohawk and Upper Hudson river basins. The state is seeking an $8.5 million Hazard Mitigation Grant from FEMA to support the new system. Canal Corp. has selected Colorado-based Riverside Technology, Inc. as the lead consultant on the project. New York currently depends on the National Weather Service’s Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service, which officials say has limitations. According to a statement released by the Canal Corp., the new system "will use weather forecasts, precipitation gauges and newly installed and existing stream gauges to fine tune flood warnings." The system will provide first responders and the general public online access to more precise information on flooding in real time, including affected areas and level of severity. Read the full story at Capitol Confidential, a Times Union blog.