FRANKLIN—After a bit of a snag, the city is getting closer to installing Blackwater River gauges that will help officials make better emergency management decisions.

In August, it was announced that a grant from the Virginia Department of Emergency Management would allow the city to purchase two river gauges for $16,000 each. The grant money was supposed to be available in November, but a technicality delayed funding, said Chief of Emergency Services Vince Holt.

“We were looking at (purchasing) USGS gauges,” he said, referring to the U.S. Geological Survey, a federal agency.

“In Virginia, USGS personnel build their own gauges,” he said. “You have to get them from a federal agency. FEMA had initially said they couldn’t give federal money to a federal agency.”

Holt said that eventually the details were ironed out. He believes the holdup was perhaps the result of one person’s interpretation of the guidelines.

As a result of follow-up meetings after the nor’easter flooding in October 2006, a city All Hazards Mitigation Plan was developed. Although the plan was adopted the following January, discussion of having more gauges to monitor river levels has been in the works since Hurricane Floyd caused the Blackwater River to overflow its banks in 1999.

Presently, there is one gauge at Burdette.

According to Holt, the gauge project was looked upon favorably by FEMA because the project had been identified as a mitigation plan. Plans have to go to the state level and become approved before being sent to FEMA for approval.

Knowing river heights will help the city pinpoint what areas may be flooded, Holt said.

Currently, an estimate has to be made based solely on the levels at Burdette.

“The one in Burdette is for (daily) monitoring of river flow and river stage height,” Holt said.

Holt pointed out that river levels in Burdette don’t accurately reflect the situation in Franklin because of a 2-foot elevation difference.

“Typically, major flooding is at 20 feet or above,” he said. “Flood stage for the Blackwater is at 12 feet. Between 16 and 20 feet, (water) can start getting into low-lying areas.”

Holt said officials will look at renovating an old gauging station in Zuni and building a new one closer to Franklin in the proximity of Barrett’s Landing.

“We’re hoping to have (the gauges) in place by

the end of hurricane season, which runs to (the end of) November” he said. “I don’t envision it being a drawn-out project. There aren’t a lot of companies out there that install these gauges, so the bidding process won’t be long.”

Holt said the project is related to the flood study that the city is working on with the Army Corps of Engineers.

While the Corps study will involve the entire Chowan River basin, the local river gauge project will directly help Franklin and Southampton and Isle of Wight counties. Part of the Corps study involves the installation of rain gauges that will monitor the amount of rainfall. According to Mayor Jim Councill, who has been working closely with the Corps, the allotted amount is “$45,000 on a 50/50 match” among the seven localities involved, with the city’s portion being $6,000.

“The ideal system is to have the river stage gauges and the rainfall gauges in place,” said Holt. “The data (from the rainfall gauges) can be used to estimate levels. Then the river stage gauges can be used to truly verify how much the river is rising.”

A kickoff meeting will be held Tuesday where information will be presented regarding preparations for the grant paperwork.