Gauging interest: Pa. may get funds for monitoring river crests

Funding may be flowing, after all, for the system of gauges that monitored river crests during this year’s floods in Pennsylvania.

Putting the money together for Pennsylvania’s stream gauges requires a team effort on the part of the federal government, the Army Corps of Engineers, regional groups, and state agencies.

Last year’s moratorium on congressional earmarks jeopardized the federal government’s contribution to the kitty.

But Susan Obleski, spokeswoman for the Susquehanna River Basin Commission, said she’s hearing that the feds may come through for the gauge network, which helps forecast river crests.

“In various agency budgets, language and money have been directed by various congressional members. And it’s not a hard program for them to support,” she said.

Obleski said the state Department of Environmental Protection has, in the past, “stepped up to the plate” to allocate additional money to the stream gauge network.

Failing to fully fund the gauges could mean having to take some of the devices offline.

That’s a tough decision to make, because the different agencies supporting the network are collecting different kinds of data, and all have their own favorite gauges.