NORWICH – Senator Thomas Libous (R-Binghamton) annouced this past Tuesday his support of new flood monitoring technology to protect communities against damaging floods.

In the wake of last year’s flood, Libous secured $500,000 for the cost of developing flood inundation mapping and new stream and rainfall gauges. Last week, the senator announced the three new stream gauges will be placed in Norwich, Binghamton and Oneonta. Additional rain gauges will be located in Vestal, Waverly, Oneonta and Cortland, and existing gauges in Vestal, Conklin, Windsor, Chenango Forks, Lisle, Greene, Bainbridge, Waverly, Cortland, Rockdale, Unadilla, Sherburne and two in Owego would be upgraded.

“We’ve never seen anything like the floods that ravaged our region last year,” said Libous. “While nothing can prevent torrential rain, these new gauges and online maps will help emergency services personnel – and the public – keep apprised of possible danger moment-by-moment as flooding happens.”

The gauge Libous will provide to the city will be placed on the Chenango River. Currently a staff gauge, consisting of numbers painted on the side of the East Main Street Bridge, constitute the city’s flood monitoring system. The City of Norwich received notice Friday that they would also receive funding for three additional stream gauges to be placed in different locations around the Norwich area.