link to complete article here:

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/2009/April09/29/stream_guages-29Apr09.html

WASHINGTON – Earlier this month, federal officials obtained assurances that 17 flood gauges along Catskills and Hudson River Valley waterways would be saved from decommissioning.

Congressman Maurice Hinchey, who was among those who won the earlier victory, met Tuesday with US Geological Survey Director Suzette Kimball in an effort to keep the remaining small number of gauges operational.

“We are still working on trying to put together the rest of the stream gauges so that we will have all of them back in shape and I am anticipating that we will be able to do that,” he said after the meeting. “The fact that we’ve got 17 of the most critical gauges back in place indicates to me that we will be able to get the few more that we need to keep this information flowing and to reduce the possibility of damages from flooding.”

Stream gauges are used by the National Weather Service to provide flood forecasting and warning information. They also help monitor the flow of waterways to support recreational activities.