New River Gages Will Improve Forecast Accuracy and Warning Time

New upstream river gages will improve accuracy of forecasts and provide more warning time in advance of floods.

The Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) will begin installing several new river gages this month. They should improve the accuracy of forecasts and the warning time we receive in advance of floods. HCFCD plans to install four new gages upstream of the Humble/Kingwood area and one in Lake Houston. In addition, one of HCFCD’s current gages already in Kingwood will be replaced and relocated to a new position.

New Locations for River Gages

According to Jeff Lindner, Director Hydrologic Operations, Division/Meteorologist of HCFCD, the five new river gages will be installed at:

  • West Fork of the San Jacinto River at SH 99
  • Peach Creek at FM 2090
  • East Fork of the San Jacinto at 2090
  • Caney Creek at FM 2090
  • FM 1960 over Lake Houston

Replacement for Kingwood Country Club Gage

Lindner also says that an existing river gage on the West Fork of the San Jacinto at Kingwood Country Club will be replaced and move about a mile downstream to the West Lake Houston Parkway bridge. HCFCD will remove the Kingwood Country Club gage once the West Lake Houston Parkway gage is fully operational. The country club gage has had reliability problems. Historical data from the country club gage will also be migrated to the database associated with the West Lake Houston Parkway gage.

Linked to Harris County Flood Warning System

The new river gages will give forecasters a more complete picture of what is happening within the San Jacinto watershed during floods. They will be tied into the Harris County Flood Warning System, which shows rainfall totals, channel status and water levels at different locations. The additional gages should also play a role in future enhancements of the flood warning system, such as near real-time inundation mapping and roadway flooding.

Posted by Bob Rehak on May 10, 2018 

254 Days since Hurricane Harvey