Letter to Appropriations Committee - Stream Gauges

Letter

Today, on a conference call with reporters, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer highlighted the importance of stream gauges in flood detection, prevention, and evacuation planning in Upstate New York, and called for the full funding of New York's existing 200-plus stream and river gauges, and urged for more gauges to be installed in Upstate New York. Schumer noted that given repeated and increasing flooding in the Mohawk Valley, Hudson Valley, Southern Tier, Western New York and beyond in recent years, New York should be prioritized for more of these life and property-saving devices, which predict if and when floodwaters will crest.

Schumer noted that The National Streamgage Information Program, through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), is chronically underfunded, which leaves many of these life-saving flood detection devices at risk of being shut off each year. Schumer therefore called for the passage of the Administration's 2014 budget, which calls for an increase of $7.3 million and the addition of 300 new stream gauges nationwide. Given flooding from Tropical Storms Irene and Lee, Superstorm Sandy, and the recent torrential rains and flash flooding in over 15 counties in New York, Schumer urged USGS to prioritize the region for many of those new flood detection devices, the locations of which are still being determined.

"In the aftermath of the severe rainfall and flash flooding in Upstate New York last week, we must first focus on recovery and rebuilding, but also look to prevent future instances of what has been repeated and increased flooding. We have learned from Tropical Storms Irene and Lee, Superstorm Sandy, and the recent flooding in Upstate New York that we cannot shortchange programs that our communities rely on to keep their citizens safe and well-informed, and help first responders plan flood responses" said Schumer. "Stream gauges are the first line of defense in river flooding, and in these cases, a stitch in time saves nine. As these and other disasters have shown, funding stream gauges is a critical and comparatively minor investment relative to the cost of repairing and rebuilding after a flood for which a community did not have time to prepare. We have a solemn responsibility to prepare our communities in the event of natural disasters and always do our best to prevent loss of life and property--stream gauges do both for pennies on the dollar."

On the call, Schumer provided a county-by-county break down of existing stream gauges throughout Upstate New York that are subject to inadequate funding and risk of shutdown each year. Schumer therefore urged his colleagues on the Senate Appropriations Committee, with jurisdiction over stream gauge funding to increase the funding for existing stream gauges throughout the US, and to add 300 additional gauges to the system. Schumer wants New York to be prioritized as decisions are made as to where those new gauges are placed, given its recent history of severe and recurrent flooding and because many local emergency managers have cited a need for better tools to predict flooding. The Administration's Fiscal Year 2014 budget request includes $36.2 million for the National Streamgage Information Program, a $7.3 million increase above the Fiscal Year 2012 enacted budget and $63.0 million for the USGS Cooperative Water Program, or $0.4 million above the Fiscal Year 2012 enacted budget.

Currently, Upstate New York has over 200 stream gauges dispersed throughout low-lying flood plains in the state:

o In the Capital Region, there are 31 stream gauges

o In Central New York, there are 24 stream gauges

o In the Rochester Finger Lakes Region, there are 24 stream gauges

o In the Hudson Valley, there are 56 stream gauges

o In Western New York, there are 10 stream gauges

o In the Southern Tier, there are 61 stream gauges

o In the North Country, there are 31 stream gauges

USGS streamflow information, currently collected at more than 8,000 stream gauges nationwide, provides the scientific basis for protecting, managing, and sustaining freshwater with information that is available in real time, which is critical to protect communities and minimize loss of life and property from water hazards, including floods, droughts, and debris flows. Stream gauges are used by the National Weather Service (NWS) to provide flood forecasting and warning information ahead of potential natural disasters. Flood gauges are essential to New York communities for a variety of reasons. In the hours preceding floods and during floods themselves, gauges help first responders and community officials keep the public abreast of the current threat. Officials can predict when rivers will crest, how much water is expected to spill into certain flood plains, and access to a wealth of other data that can help them manage the disaster. Additionally, flood gauges help provide data for future flood maps, monitor water quality and use, and help planners determine the appropriate support structures for bridges, based on the water flow beneath them.

In most years, of all the natural disasters, flooding causes the greatest amount of property damage and loss of human life. One of the most effective ways of reducing these losses is advance warning of the flood and knowledge of the areas that are likely to be flooded. The National Weather Service (NWS) provides flood forecasts using models that are calibrated, checked, and verified with USGS-supplied streamflow information. Recently, the USGS has helped develop a new tool using information from stream gauges called a flood inundation map library to assist first responders and the general public in knowing what areas will be flooded and how deep those flood waters will be for a given storm based on the NWS flood forecast. Real-time flood inundation map applications run flood simulations and create maps "on the fly" during a flood, using real-time data. The maps are freely available to anyone at any time. For 2013 and 2014, additional rivers will be mapped for estimates of flood inundation. The USGS will continue to work with other Federal agencies (NWS, Corps of Engineers, and Federal Emergency Management Agency), state emergency management agencies, and private companies to enhance and provide consistent flood inundation maps for the public and emergency responders.

After days of heavy rainfall and flooding last week in the Capital Region, Central New York, the Southern Tier, the Hudson Valley, and Western New York, Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand wrote to Administrator Fugate to request approval of the state's request for FEMA Individual Assistance and Public Assistance, Categories A-G, for 15 severely-impacted counties in the State of New York. Herkimer, Oneida, Madison and Montgomery County had been hit particularly hard by the heavy rainfall of June 27 and June 28. At the height of the storms, over 13,000 New Yorkers were without power, including the entire village of Herkimer, whose power substation was inundated by 10 feet of water, and approximately 475 families were evacuated from their homes. Significant flooding caused by the overflowing of the Mohawk River due to heavy rainfall has ravaged 15 counties, forced hundreds to evacuate from their homes, destroyed countless amounts of personal property, and rendered critical infrastructure such as water treatment plants, power stations, and canal locks inoperable or significantly damaged. In addition to infrastructure, many citizens of the State of New York have been gravely affected. In Lockport the local Water Treatment Plant sustained over $1M in damage when the daily volume of water moving through the plant jumped from its typical 7 million gallons, to as high as 93 million gallons on June 28th alone. Areas in the Southern Tier and the Hudson Valley were also impacted and are in need of aid.

The last few years have brought the issue of stream gauges and their predictive capabilities to the fore. Schumer pointed out that Superstorm Sandy created a storm surge of up to six feet in some communities along the banks of the Hudson River. The river broached Newburgh's waterfront, forced evacuations by a tributary in Kingston, and flooded critical infrastructure in Ossining and Irvington. Yonkers, Nyack, Piermont, the Village of Haverstraw and other Hudson River communities also experienced massive damage to public and private property and facilities. The serious flooding experienced in the Southern Tier from Tropical Storms Irene and Lee served as a reminder of the vital importance of the flood forecasts issued by the National Weather Service (NWS). Without the advanced warning afforded to basin communities, residents and businesses, New York would undoubtedly have experienced greater property damage from these flood events and possibly loss of life. Schumer argued that the more recent flooding is another example of the increased need for stream gauges in New York, where they can help communities could save significant amounts of money in property damage and prevent loss of life.

A copy of Schumer's letter to the Appropriations Committee appears below:

Dear Committee Members,

In light of the most recent devastating flooding in Upstate New York, I respectfully write to request your support of the President's budget request for $36.2 million for the National Streamgage Information Program, a $7.3 million increase above the Fiscal Year 2012 enacted budget, as your subcommittee works towards a budget for the FY2014 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies.

I am aware that difficult choices must be made in allocating federal resource, but as we have learned from Superstorm Sandy and this most recent flooding in the Mohawk Valley, we cannot shortchange programs that our communities rely on to keep their citizen safe and well-informed. Stream gauges play an important lifesaving role in monitoring waterways and providing timely and accurate flood forecasts to surrounding communities. Stream gauges are also relied upon by a variety of federal state, and local agencies as well as farmers and private property owners for disaster planning and to assess the environmental impact of water flowing throughout our waterways. The recent flooding in Upstate New York, Superstorm Sandy, and tropical storms Irene and Lee have all demonstrated the importance of funding stream gauges. They are a critical and comparatively minor lifesaving investment relative to the cost of dealing with a flood for which a community did not have time to prepare.

With the proposed funding increases in the President's budget, the USGS will be able to fully fund 100 new stream gauges and partner with other agencies on 200 more stream gauges. Also, the increase in funding will allow USGS to invest in research and development on the next generation of stream gauges that utilize the latest technology in remote sensing, bathymetry, and particle imagery to provide the most timely and accurate data to communities. Our local communities use this data to plan lifesaving emergency evacuations, make watershed management decisions, and make smart decisions about rebuilding following flooding that destroys homes and businesses.

I ask that you to consider the great importance of the President's budget request and work together with the U.S. Geological Survey, and its partner at NOAA, and Army Corps of Engineers to not only help grow the stream gauge network, but to do so using the latest and most efficient technologies.

Thank you for all your work on the appropriations process, and for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

U.S. Senator

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