Water level gauges in St. Lawrence County and around the country could be shut off March 1 if funding isn’t approved for their operation.

U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand urged the federal government to fully fund the National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP) that provides advance warning of high water rises in streams and rivers to warn of imminent flooding.

Several of those gauges are in the North Country, including gauges at Piercefield, South Colton and Raymondville along the Raquette River that kept us apprised of water levels during flooding last spring.

In a letter to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the senators urged the federal government to support funding for the critical US. Geological Survey stream gauges program in the Fiscal Year 2013 budget that would be effectively shut down as of March 1 if not funded. With temperatures rising and melting snow causing bodies of water to swell, this could not come at a worse time for upstate New York communities, the senators said.

“Flipping off stream gauges in an area prone to flooding like New York would force residents, emergency responders and local officials to tie one hand behind their backs to fight flooding, when in reality we need all hands on deck,” said Schumer.

“After New York State’s recent unprecedented flooding from heavy snow melt in the spring and the tropical storms in the summer, there is no excuse not to fund the programs that notify communities of impending flood waters,” Gillibrand said. “As we have just seen this past year, flooding can damage our communities and devastate our homes, businesses and farms. It is crucial that we keep the necessary precautions in place that monitor and protect us from natural environmental changes and disasters.”

In a letter to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget Jeffrey Zients, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand noted that the federal government is neglecting its responsibility to fund these gauges and is relying on the states to fund this program as state budgets are facing more difficult times. Understanding and tracking water flow and levels is critical to all aspects of the economy, particularly because the information helps to improve federal disaster response to flooding, and is used to assess drought which assists in assessing wildfire potential.