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Eight New River Gauges For Haywood County

The first of eight new river gauges will be installed in Haywood County this week, enhancing the ability to monitor upstream river levels. Three years after Tropical Storm Fred devastated local communities, these gauges offer hope for better early detection of flooding, potentially saving lives.

“We are pleased to finally start work on this long-needed project. The data gathered will increase our situational awareness and help us better prepare for and warn people about future floods,” said Assistant Emergency Management Coordinator Cody Parton.

Contractor Distinctive AFWS Designs, Inc. aims to complete the project within a few weeks, weather permitting. The gauges will be installed on North Carolina Department of Transportation bridges in areas providing early warning of rising river levels, including sites in Cruso, Lake Logan, Dutch Cove Creek, North Hominy Creek, Canton, and Waynesville.

Previously, the farthest upstream gauge was on the East Fork at the Mundy Field bridge, which provided insufficient warning for some areas. The new gauges will increase river monitoring sites in Haywood County by over 65% and integrate with the North Carolina Flood Inundation and Mapping & Alert Network (FIMAN). Residents can use FIMAN to track flooding in near real-time and request alerts for rising river levels.

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